Happy weekend everyone, I hope you're enjoying some lovely down time today. I'm still coming out of my plague fog and trying to catch up on work and home things (and the dreaded taxes will be the end of me...help!) but my spirits were lifted by many interesting reads/visuals this week. Enjoy them in this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome:

- Why moms -- and their last words -- matter.

- Watch as 1,000 years of European borders change.

- Six new favorite doughnuts around Boston.

- Great foods for hydrating your skin.

- My curated collection of colorful totes.

- A case for not hovering at playdates.

- Every child is gifted and talented. Every single one.

- Homemade peanut butter eggs.

- OMG. Christopher Walken dance montage.

- For my fellow grad school indentured servants.

- Don’t help your kids with their homework.

Image credit: blueberry green iced detox tea via Pinterest

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a great week! I've definitely been struggling to catch up on work after being offline for four days at Disney + reconciling paperwork so I can deal with dreaded taxes is looming over me, but I'm ready for a productive Friday! And then, weekend! If you're looking for something to do this weekend, enjoy this roundup of 13 events.

1. Search for signs of spring...they have to be somewhere! (Acton)

2. Debbie O’Carroll’s Magical Theatre for Children (Arlington)

3. Irish film festival for the wee ones. (Boston)

4. Healthy kids festival. (Boston)

5. Hao Bang-Ya Horse by Chinese Theatre Works (Brookline)

6. It’s Davey the Clown! (Brookline)

7. Creature feature: salamanders and frogs. (Gloucester)

8. Take a moment to stop, look and listen to nature. (Ipswich)

9. Eco-games free-for-all. (Newburyport)

10. What wildlife find homes in beaver ponds? (Princeton)

11. Maple days. (Sturbridge)

12. Spring sing. A family celebration of spring. (Watertown)

13. Kidville in Wellesley is turning one and you’re invited to the party! (Wellesley)

Image credit: 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.

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Disney with Laurel, Violet, and my Mom for a preschool media event. I admittedly was a little concerned about how the trip would go, given Violet's fiery nature and some sensory sensitivity issues, but it was an amazing adventure. I found myself making notes about the things I wanted to share that made our life way easier at Disney. I hope these tips are helpful to you as you consider or plan a visit to Disney!

1. Book a resort hotel. I highly recommend booking a Disney resort hotel, both for logistical (see #2 and #4) and recreational reasons. Because the reality is, there likely will be times when you want to be close to home base and relax. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is simply awesome. The hotel is situated to provide savanna views in which a variety of animals and birds roam (it was rather mind blowing for my city kids to look out the window and see giraffes and antelope!), and offers lots of kid-friendly programming and a kid’s center. The pool is also great and the shallow wade-in side + deeper side/slide made it fun for both Laurel (9) and Violet (almost 3 at the time).

2. Use the Disney Magical Express. OK, so this is awesome. Disney offers free motorcoach transit via the Disney Magical Express to and from select WDW resort hotels. This service is so great that I'd recommend you first check which hotels offer Disney Magical Express and then select from those options. Simply make your reservation and special luggage tags will be sent to you. We checked our luggage in Boston, bypassed baggage claim in Orlando, headed straight for the DME Welcome Center, hopped the bus to our hotel, and our luggage later arrived directly to our hotel room. AWESOME. On departure, simply check in at your hotel's Magical Express desk and the next time you'll need to handle your luggage is at baggage claim at your destination airport. Not having to schlep luggage while negotating the girls, Vi's stroller, and my mom was beyond fantastic.

3. Bring your own stroller. If you have even a remotely “uppies!”-prone little one (as I do), bring your stroller. Disney does have strollers available on site, but for little ones you’ll want your stroller to help you get through the airports. Also, there are designated areas to park your stroller at Disney and it will be easier to spot yours in the sea of strollers if it’s your home model. I brought our Maclaren Triumph and it was perfect -- lightweight but fully functional.

4. Use Magic Bands. Magic Bands are simply awesome. You can use them to enter the parks, unlock your hotel room door if you’re at a Disney resort (OMG I loved not having to scrabble around looking for a room key card), check in at FastPass entrances (see #5), and use them for Memory Maker photos.

5. Use FastPass. In general, I’m not super patient waiting on long lines and it’s even worse with an almost 3-year-old in tow. I simply love FastPass. I almost felt a little bad blowing past people in the regular line, but I was so, so happy to use it!

6. Download the My Disney Experience app. The (free) My Disney Experience app is super handy for things like making reservations and checking on wait times on the go. It’s also GPS-enabled if you need help getting from the tea cups to Thunder Mountain.

7. Map your route. I'm a fan of jotting notes on paper maps and I recommend getting the brochure maps in advance and plotting your route so you’re not backtracking all over the place (like we did on Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom before I got my hands on a map).

8. Survey your crowd. As you map your route, check in with your kids about what they want to see most then plan accordingly. For example, if your kid's top priority is to meet Minnie Mouse (as Violet's was), try to plot your route so you arrive just before or at the begininming of the meet and greet start time so you’re not standing in a huge line. Given #5, I prioritized FastPass attractions!

9. Enjoy the shows. Initially, the girls were really excited about rides so I was laser focused on that aspect of the parks. However, at Hollywood Studios I realized how awesome the shows are (we saw Disney Junior Live + Beauty and the Beast). Not only are the productions fantastic technically (this former theatre geek notices everything!) but the shows offer you a chance to sit and relax for 20-40 minutes, whereas if you’re on and off the rides all day you’re on the move pretty much constantly.

10. Pack wisely. I'm a light packer and in my opinion the essentials are: water, snacks, sunscreen, wallet, phone (I used my phone camera to take pictures during the trip), and maps. For the first time in a million years, I also felt compelled to bring a change of clothes in a plastic bag for Violet and this proved to be a major life saver on the last day of the trip, when Vi barfed all over herself (and me). Travel and different foods can take their toll on kids; it’s good to be prepared. (Next time I'll also pack myself a backup shirt!)

11. Be flexible. Though in general, yes, it’s good to plan, be flexible. The reality is, the Disney properties include an abundance of entertainment options. It is totally fine to not see everything (is it even possible to see everything??), especially if it means you can enjoy a more relaxed vacation with your family. My general approach was to query the girls and my Mom about what seemed most fun (#8) and notate those things on the map (#7) and then visit what we had energy for or didn’t have a huge wait (not everything is FastPass accessible #5) and not worry about the stuff we didn’t visit. It was awesome.

12. Have faith. Disney is a truly incredible operation. Obviously, there’s no shortage of kids’ activities, but it also feels as if they are prepared for anything. There are baby care areas, the transit system is incredible (without any pre-planning it was super easy to navigate the monorail, tram, and buses), and the staff takes dietary issues seriously. This may seem crazy, but I actually decided to take a big leap and see if I could get Vi off her rice milk bottle on this trip by going cold turkey. I told her several times in advance of the trip to prepare her and she did it no problem. However, when I did ask if rice milk was available (in a cup) at meals, the waitstaff immediately asked if I wanted to talk to a chef about any allergy concerns.

In a nutshell, I was thrilled to see how doable Disney was while traveling with three people (ages 2, 9, 78) with very different needs. And this was possible thanks to both logistical tactics (#1-10) and mindset (#11-12). I hope these tips are helpful to you and if you have others, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!

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Disclosure: I traveled to Disney as part of a preschool media event. My family's travel expenses were covered, with the exception of one freakishly expensive airline ticket. Editorial was not required in advance to attend; I'm sharing this post because I want to help make your life easier if you head to Disney, and so I can remember these tips the next time I visit!

Image credits: Christine Koh

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Fred Phelps, Sr., former leader of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, is dead. He died on Wednesday night in hospice care. Phelps hit the international news scene when he and his church protested Matthew Shepherd's funeral in 1998 bearing signs that reflect their website's URL: God Hates Fags.

 I live in Kansas City. I had never heard of Fred Phelps until I went to a Lipizzaner horse show in Topeka with a friend and was shocked to see a group of people holding up signs saying in ten or twelve different ways that God, and they, hate homosexual people. What that had to do with horses, I have no idea. I asked my friend what was going on, and she sighed and explained who they were, what they stood for, what they'd been doing, what they continued to do and still continue to do on and on for years after I drove past them, my mouth hanging open in shock and my skin tingling with rage.

Please read the rest on BlogHer.

As much as I love being a resource provider, I’ve been wanting to integrate more personal voice into Boston Mamas for a while. I'll soon share how that will work in terms of community submissions (yay!); meanwhile, I wanted to share a personal post today. It's Violet's third birthday and though it has been a challenging and surprising three years in many ways, I have also learned so much. I'm sharing my thoughts in the form of a letter:

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Dear Violet,

I know it sounds trite, but I truly can’t believe you’re three today. As I was thinking about your third birthday, I went back and read the posts (and incredible, supportive comments) about my feelings of failure around infertility, the pregnancy announcement, and your 58-hour labor and delivery. All of the emotions along this winding trajectory were so palpable that I can close my eyes and relive them immediately. Invariably, I find myself teary.

People often ask how you differ from Laurel. In a nutshell, you two are like night and day, but my typical adjectives are fiery, independent, and (sorry, Sheryl Sandberg) bossy. And while I’ve sometimes (OK, often) found myself overwhelmed by these characteristics -- they’re simply so different than what I have known with Laurel -- I’ve come to realize the positives too. I think I've been doing a disservice to you by emphasizing the challenges associated with your personality traits and I'm sorry about that. Here’s why:

You taught me not to be afraid of anger. I grew up in a household where angry outbursts were the norm; this made me run the other direction and never allow my anger to come to the surface. When faced with conflict with your Dad, I would shut down in fear. Subsequently, your fiery nature used to bewilder and scare me at times. But I have learned from you that anger has many dimensions. It can be short lived. It can be rooted in nonsense. There's still love on the other side of anger. I’m no longer afraid of it.

Your independence pays off. Sometimes it has been hard to support your independence when, say, I’m trying to get us out the door and you freak out unless I wait for you to put your shoes on a certain way. But the reality is, your independent nature translated to you potty training in a week. You can get dressed by yourself. You take pride in completing chores on your own. I would be crazy not to celebrate these things.

What I used to call bossy I now will refer to as your clear sense of purpose and process. You know what you want and how you want it. You move through the world with purpose. You are protective of your personal space. I respect these things. Let's face it: I am these things too.

You know the power of your voice. You are growing up as the littlest one in a family of talkers. I now know that your meltdowns about being the first to speak reflect frustration about not being heard and not being a part of the conversation. Your daycare progress report recently came back saying that at circle time, it’s typical of the kids to mimic one another when they report about what they did that weekend. Your teachers said that in contrast, you never do that; instead, you always reply with your own answer, clearly and with detail. It brought tears to my eyes to think that by age 2 you had already found your voice. In some ways, I feel as if I’m just finding mine.

Violet, you have taught me so much in these three years and I'm sure there are many lessons to come. And just as I often ask you to be patient, I'm reminding myself to be patient too. We're both perfectly imperfect and helping one another grow. I love you and will celebrate both your fiery independence and what lives on the other end of your emotional spectrum: a pure, bright, and infectious joy that lights up my days.

Love, Mom

Reviewing airline safety protocol. As two-year-olds do.

Image credits: Christine Koh

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! My head is swimming with thoughts following our wonderful trip to Disney and I'll have more to share soon on that. I'm definitely in catch up mode today + Violet's birthday is tomorrow so I need to orient my brain in that direction! Meanwhile, if you're looking for things to do this week, enjoy this fun roundup via the Weekly Blueprint:

March 17: It’s all things St. Patrick’s Day at the Children’s Museum. (Boston)

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day story and craft hour. (Boston)

March 19: Optical illusions with Steve Lechner. (Dorchester)

March 19: We’re going on a bear hunt. (Easton)

March 20: That Beatrix Potter is one SMART Gal. (Acton)

March 20: Put some spring in your step...finally! (Concord)

March 20: Experience Salem’s creative scene at Artopia. (Salem)

March 20: East Coast sneak preview of Project Wild Thing. (Arlington)

March 20 - 23: Hao Bang-Ya Horse by Chinese Theatre Works (Brookline)

March 21: Say happy birthday to The Very Hungry Caterpillar. (Cambridge)

March 21: The bunnies have gotten into the carrots and are…baking? (Lincoln)

March 21: Free Friday forest walks. (Wareham)

Image credit: 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.

If you'll be at BlogHer '14 in San Jose, please come visit the Writing Lab. On Friday, July 24 from 2:30-4 pm, you'll find the following people there:

Writing Lab | Be Your Own Editor

Writing is hard. This lab will help make it a little easier for you by making those rough drafts a little smoother, that copy a bit tighter, and those headlines a little more zingy. Like any good cook will tell you, it's much easier at the end if you clean as you go. Tidy up your work as you write it with these tips for catchy and inspiring headlines, insights into how an *editor* approaches a writer's first draft differently than the *writer* does, and the grammar refreshers we all know we can use, even if we don't want to admit it! 

Instructors:

• Arnebya Herdon and Rita Arens (grammar clinic)
• Julie Ross Godar (headline bootcamp)
• Meiko Patton and Susan Goldberg (what to do with your first draft)

I like nothing better than to sit around geeking out over "that" versus "which," so it's a guaranteed good time! In all seriousness, understanding the rules of grammar and punctuation give you confidence -- and that confidence translates not only into better writing but also into the promotion of said writing. No one wants to be the guy on ESPN whose tweet gets picked up saying "your the best!" (seen recently, no lie)

NO ONE WANTS TO BE THAT GUY.

If you want a badge of your own (even if you're not speaking, you totally don't have to be, that's just what MY badge says), go here for badge code.

Also -- if you have any grammar quandaries you'd like us to address, leave them here in the comments!

Hi everyone, what a fun week this has been! It was truly amazing to meet so many wonderful mamas at the Dr. Smith's spa party (you can check out some cute pictures here) on Tuesday, and now I'm writing from Disney, where I'm on a preschool media tour (if you'd like to follow along, you can do so via Instagram). Meanwhile, I hope you have a great weekend; enjoy this 17-event roundup!

1. The Boston Flower and Garden Show. (Boston)

2. ALS interpreted rainforest reptile shows. (Boston)

3. An evening for children with special needs. (Boston)

4. Keane-O’Brien Academy of Irish Dance. (Boston)

5. A St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the zoo. (Boston)

6. One World, Many Stories. (Brookline) 

7. Whoooo will go to the Owls Live! Festival? (Canton)

8. Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of I Took the Moon for a Walk. (Concord)

9. First annual maple sugaring festival. (Ipswich)

10. A beautiful full moon and folklore hike. (Ipswich)

11. Snowshoe tours around the sculpture park. (Lincoln)

12. Yum, yum, yum. Sap to syrup farmer’s breakfast. (Lincoln)

13. Rock out with Debbie and Friends. (Newton)

14. Everything is more fun with jello! (Norfolk)

15. Just how big is infinity? (Salem)

16. A Ben Rudnick show to benefit Lifeworks. (Salem)

17. Vanessa Trien and The Jumpking Monkeys. (Westwood)

Image credit: Boston Flower & Garden Show

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.

March is National Craft Month, and given how much I love crafting + the fact that I have some seriously crafty friends, I thought it would be fun to share a roundup of awesome craft/DIY books. The amazing thing? When I queried these creatives, they all shared different recommendations across different craft types. LOVE. I can't wait to add all of these titles to my craft library!

1. Decorating Cookies by Bridget Edwards. “I love a DIY book where I can learn something completely new. When it comes to the most adorably decorated sugar cookies you've ever seen and the best step by step instructions to help you get it right every time, this book rocks! Bridget is the Michael Jordan of cookie decorating.” -Kami of No Biggie

2. Fabrics A-Z by Dana Willard. “This sewing and fabric book from the lovely Dana Willard of MADE is the perfect guide for choosing the right style of fabric for your project!” -Marie of Make and Takes

3. Hand in Hand by Jenny Doh. “This book includes gorgeous and doable projects that parents and children can craft together. The photography is beautiful and colorful and the projects are inspiring.” -Caroline of Salsa Pie

4. Knitting New Mittens & Gloves by Robin Melanson. “A great option for when you're ready to try something more advanced. The patterns are gorgeous and reflect different ethnic and cultural traditions, including Icelandic, Celtic, and German. The patterns are sized for adults and children, and include a good range of mittens, gloves, fingerless gloves, mittens with fold-over flaps, and and even arm warmers. I've made several patterns from this book and wear and enjoy them all.” -Kate of Boston Mamas

5. Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. "This book is replete with adorable and stylish projects ranging from quick (coasters) to more involved (quilts). It's one of my go-to inspiration points when I'm thinking about starting a new sewing project." -Christine of Boston Mamas

6. Make and Takes for Kids by Marie LeBaron. “As much as I love to make things and craft, I fall short when it comes to simple and cute kid crafts, so I love Make and Takes for Kids as a quick go to when it comes to kid crafting...and as a bonus, I happen to love the author.” -Kami of No Biggie

7. Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. “There are so many good ones — most that we keep tend to be very specific and niche and we pick them up as my kids interests change and develop. But if you're just starting to build your crafting library, my favorite general book is Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts. It's the real deal. Great information. Great visuals. All from a crafting team that knows their glue glitter.” -Gabrielle of Design Mom

8. Modge Podge Rocks by Amy Anderson. “The book features more than 40 fun and fantastic projects using the wonder-supply that all crafters adore: Mod Podge!” -Caroline of Salsa Pie

9. New Dress a Day by Marisa Lynch. Marisa is a self-taught seamstress and yet is able to turn thrift store castoffs into covet-worthy & current pieces, like her "As Seen on TV" runway copycats for Hello Giggles & the Goodwill-to-gala pieces she upcycled for the sisters in The Fighter to wear on the Oscars red carpet. Her unassuming attitude and inclusive tips make even a total amateur feel at ease ponying up to her sewing machine for the first time.” -Melissa of Shoestring Magazine

10. Oliver + S Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson. “A pleasure just to look at, the patterns in this book are a compilation of the best from the Oliver + S company. Skirts, jackets, backpacks, and wonderful hats, all sized for children but in designs that will appeal to adults. The patterns indicate their level of difficulty, and the instructions are illustrated and pretty easy to follow. A fun book for sewing for kids.” -Kate of Boston Mamas

11. POM-POMS! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects by Sarah Goldschadt & Lexi Walters Wright. “I love all the unique and fun tutorials to make yarn poms from this Pom-Poms book. From little creatures to flowers to garlands. It makes me yarn happy!” -Marie of Make and Takes

12. Put Your Stamp On It by Meagan Lewis. “This stamping book is one of my favorites to get project ideas on things to make with my 5 year old daughter Chloe. We love to stamp to make pictures, wrapping paper or cards so it's a great way to try new techniques.” -Natalie of Coquette

13. Sewing for All Seasons by Susan Beal. “I am a sewer at heart and this book has lots of easy year-round small sewing projects you can make such as placemats, aprons, ornaments, slippers and more.  The fabrics used for the projects in the book are just gorgeous so I sometimes just find myself just flipping through the photos when I don't have time to actually sew.” -Natalie of Coquette

14. Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg & Cheryl Arkison. “This book is a great beginner's guide to quilting. Pretty patterns, good inspiration, and easy-to-follow instructions that actually make quilting seem within reach. A great place to start out for a first quilt (as I did) or to try something a bit more advanced.” -Kate of Boston Mamas

Image credits: book jackets via Amazon; compilation image by Christine Koh