I'm planning on being off the grid for most of the weekend on a fun little adventure with Laurel and Violet (feel free to follow along on Instagram!) so I wanted to share this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome a little early. Enjoy this roundup of reads and visuals that caught my eye, and be sure to check out the 34-event Weekend Roundup if you're looking for something to do this weekend! Have a wonderful weekend!

- So thrilled about the launch of ONE’s Girls & Women site!

- Because PANDAS.

- Honored to be on this list of top 25 family travel blogs!

- Incredibly proud of my friend Katherine Stone for helping so many women rise from postpartum depression.

- How to create the perfect gallery wall.

- This is what happened when I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps.

- Then and now photos.

- I think Massachusetts deserves higher than #13 but I’m totally biased.

- Moscato mojitos -- a friend made these last weekend and they were delicious!

- World Cup soccer stats erase the sport’s most dominant players: women.

Image credit: lemon pie ice cream via Pinterest

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

Following my tips about booking a camping trip + gear essentials, the final post I wanted to share about camping is about tips for the camping trip itself. But quickly, before I do that I wanted to share a recommendation from Kris-Ann. Kris-Ann's family participated in a Become an Outdoors Family Camping Workshop last year, which included lessons on how to start a campfire and how to set up your tent, as well as other activities. So cool!

Now, here are 8 tips for camping with kids. Feel free to add any others in the comments below!

1. Give your kids jobs. Giving kids jobs will make them feel that they are part of the team, and also helps kids really experience what camping is all about. Kids can help gather kindling, set up the tent, arrange items inside the tent, etc. Laurel and Vi were really helpful with both setup and breakdown!

2. Go over ground rules. We didn’t have a ton of rules, per se, but remember that kids will not necessarily have the same context as you do for experiences like this. Our main issues were to talk to them about fire safety, water sources, and trash/food cleanup.

3. Explore the grounds. Laurel and Violet are 6.5 years apart so obviously, their physical abilities are very different. If we had stayed two nights I think Jon and I would have probably split up, with one of us taking Laurel on a longer hike and one of us taking Vi on a short hike or to scrabble around the woods. But a simple exploration of the grounds -- walking to the beach, climbing rocks, finding the general store -- all made for good adventures.

4. Go device free. Seriously, you’re in the woods -- enjoy unplugging your family! I loved kicking back and relaxing with the girls amidst a pile of books and magazines. They never once asked, “Where’s the kindle?”

5. Enjoy the slowness. One of my favorite things about camping is that it really strips life to the basics; it’s wonderfully slow and simple and I suggest enjoying the slowness! My friend Charles referred to this as “saving the time to breathe.” Charles shared: “Sometimes it's tempting to do the hike and the swimming and the campfire social and the kickball game and the boating... Overtired kids don't make good tent mates.” So true!

6. Embrace the small teaching moments. Related to #2 and #5, we found that many of the tasks associated with camping offered an opportunity to teach the girls about something practical in a setting where we had the time to slow down and chat and teach (vs. just doing it ourselves). For example, we taught the girls about building a fire, how to identify poison ivy, interacting (or not interacting) with animals, etc.

7. Collect nighttime needs while it’s still light out. I really didn’t want to be fumbling around in the dark so after dinner I collected and arranged in the tent various things we might need in the middle of the night, such as water bottles for everyone, flashlights, and extra clothes in case of accidents.

8. Keep them up. We put the girls to bed around their usual bedtime and in retrospect, we should have kept them up until it was totally dark and they were really tuckered. What with different surroundings and sounds, the girls had a harder time falling asleep which led to many frequent visits to the tent. Next time we'll keep them up late!

Do you have other tips to share about camping with kids? Feel free to comment below!

Image credits: Christine Koh

In preparing to write this post honoring my friend and activist/entrepreneur, Katherine Stone of Postpartum Progress, I searched my gmail, which has also archived my old hotmail account, to see when we first found each other. I dug up an email from Katherine dated April 15, 2009, which would've been a few weeks after my daughter's fifth birthday and about a year after I started getting help and taking medication for my anxiety disorder. Katherine wrote:

This Mother's Day - Sunday, May 10 -- Postpartum Progress will host its first annual Mother's Day Rally for Moms' Mental Health.  Each hour, on the hour, for 24 hours straight I will post a different "Letter to New Moms" written by survivors of and experts on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

That email signified just one of Katherine's countless efforts to make moms suffering from mental illness feel more normal. I did write that post, and Katherine and I have written for one another on the subject of maternal mental health again and again, knowing we can prop each other and even strangers up over the miles with our voices. 

The first time I remember clearly having a long conversation with Katherine in person was at Type A Mom in 2010. She was a little intimidating with her long, red hair and tall, lanky self and these totally adorable sparkly heels, which she later said her kids bought her. The kids and the shoes stuck, because it's important to remember even people who present as physically beautiful and loomingly tall and effortlessly stylish are people with insecurities and doubts. It's easy to meet people at blogging conferences and think they are perfect, but nobody is perfect, and everyone has her struggles. Katherine embodies that dichotomy for me.

Here is this person who looks completely pulled together but who is so willing to share her pain in order to make the rest of us sitting around in our yoga pants and flipflops feel human again. For that, Katherine, I salute you.

Last year, while covering the Olympics at BlogHer, I had to come up with a group of bloggers who fought for their dreams, and the very first person I thought of was Katherine, who said:

I always felt I needed to do something meaningful with my life but continually struggled to figure out what it was. Then I was struck with postpartum depression and I had this gut reaction – the kind that nags at you that you can only ignore for so long until you must act – that I needed to help other women. It's hard to imagine something so awful could lead you to your avocation, but it pushed me toward focusing my life on being a voice for suffering pregnant and new mothers.

It's been my great pleasure and honor to watch Katherine over the years blossom and grow and fight to become the owner of the most widely-read blog on PPD in the world. Thank you, Katherine, for all that you do. You are amazing. Congratulations on ten years at Postpartum Progress.

Running typically is my favorite efficient way to exercise, but this season it’s been a total slog. My body has just not been feeling particularly spry and last week I felt pretty rock bottom about it all. I queried via social media about this topic and was amazed by the response! I wanted to share these great tips with you, because let’s face it, everyone gets in a fitness funk from time to time.

Huge props to @ameliasprout, Charles, Chris, Christina, Christine, @courtneytheduke, Elena, @groovygreenliv, Heather, Katie, Jen, Jesica, Jill, Jo-Lynne, Jules, Julia, Maria, Mary, Matt, Nadia, Pauline, @rachel_nk, Sharon, Sharon, and Vicky for sharing wisdom and encouragement! There were many overlapping responses so I'm calling everyone out here, and crediting specific recommendations below.

1. Put a race on the calendar. I definitely perform well with a carrot in front of me and I’ve wanting to put a race on the calendar for a while, but personally, right now a 5K seems too short, a half marathon seems too long, and I haven’t managed to find a 5-miler or 10K race that works with my schedule. I will keep looking!

2. Change your route. Several people also suggested changing route. My typical routine currently involves one of 5 or so routes, depending on how far I want to go, so I guess it’s time to try a new one!

3. Change your distance. Christina suggested changing distance; for example, going only a mile but as fast as you can go. Or, going really slow but longer than normal.

4. Create a new playlist or listen to a podcast. LOTS of people recommended creating a new playlist, which is starting to make me think I should run with music (I just run and brainstorm and breathe)! I thought Jill’s suggestion of using Spotify to create a fresh playlist each run was clever.

5. Get new gear. Several people recommended new shoes and running clothes as a motivator. And as it happens, I just spotted (and bought!) the Mizunos I’ve been coveting over on Zulily last night on mega sale!

6. Grab some reading inspiration. @courtneytheduke recommended reading Run Like a Mother.

7. Run with other people. Several people recommended running with a friend. My sister Sharon recommended joining a running club, which kind of scares me a little but maybe that’s a good reason to try it.

8. Train with your kids. @ameliasprout shared that preparing for a 5K with her kids is a motivator: “We push each other. Still just walking but we're doing it together and kids are lots more fun to exercise with than adults for me.” As it turns out, I’m helping to start a Girls on the Run chapter at Laurel’s school this fall. BOOM.

9. Try something different that’s running related. People recommended mixing things up via track workouts, speed work, intervals, hill repeats, and zombie sprints. I will need to look up what some of these things are. Ha!

10. Try something different that’s NOT running related. My cousin Pauline suggested less running and more cross-training. Jesica suggested a barre or spin class. I used to always alternate yoga with running and I think that would be a good thing to do as well.

11. Take a break. Jules (a contributor here + fitness trainer) recommends taking a full 7-10 days off from running then starting fresh.

12. Remember that it’s not forever. Vicky, Julia, and Jesica were super helpful in reminding me that what with the heat and humidity, this is the hardest time of year to run. For everyone. It’s totally true. I don’t mind running in 15 degree winter weather, but this humidity is killer for me. A good reminder to not be so hard on myself!

Do you have other tips to share? I'd love to hear them in the comments below.

Image credits: 1) Mizunos via Zulily; 2) FreeDigitalPhotos.net (with text/graphic treatment by Christine Koh)

I can't resist going outside on summer nights.

No matter how old I grow, on summer nights, I am seventeen again, pressing my face to the thick air, listening to the tree frogs and the owls and the cacophony of insects that create a din where in winter there is only silence and cold. The cold sometimes creates a sound that is not a sound, but more a feeling.

The trees rustle where the boughs meet fifty feet above my head. I wonder who planted these trees or if they planted themselves. I wonder if the trees will still be here after I am gone from this place, and I am certain they will be. The trees don't care about my business. They'll offer shelter and shade to anyone and no one.

Summer nights convince me that I could walk away into them, walk for miles into their thickness and here on the edge of town I could disappear into the thickets where the deer live and the coyotes howl, pressing against the edge of the house rows. They ignore our presence and continue to be wild at the edge of it.

Once in high school I took a walk late on a summer night along the edge of a highway and out in the fields farmed by my relatives, I saw a million fireflies light up all at the same time. That they did that every night, that they still do that every night while I am sleeping or watching Netflix continues to center me and remind me that my little melodramas bloom and fade away like fireworks against their continuing thick summer night sky.

On summer nights, my favorite authors sat and thought and looked at similar fireflies and wrote their words, and sometimes I write some words, too, watching them explode against the screen before they fade away into the raging river of social media.

And I am struck by the mediocrity of my finest hour, and also comforted by it, because I am only just beginning to discover what so many more humans have known before me.

At my aunt's funeral last weekend, I remembered a documentary I saw about elephant mourning. Elephants are very intelligent, and when one of them falls, the herd gathers around it and touches it, sometimes moving to bury it under tree branches. They have even been known to do this for people. As I sat in the pew with tears streaming down my cheeks, I mourned my aunt who has been gone as I know her for years, taken by Pick's disease, but if I had a trunk, I would have raised it in respect for the woman I knew.

When I am gone, I would like an elephant funeral on a thick summer night. 

Outside, listening to the tree frogs and the owls and the night creatures going about their business, I realize again how silly my ego really is. I can strive to scratch against the surface that is history, but ultimately a wayward star can erase not only me but every human who came before me and would come after. It's a scary thought, but also an oddly comforting one. I am all of it; I am none of it. The only thing that matters, ultimately, is how I treat people while I am here.

When we're gone, people don't remember so much what we said or what we did, but how we made them feel. We store that feeling with smells and tastes down in the animal portion of our brains, so much that when I cracked open an old book of nursery rhymes my grandmother used to read me, I heard her voice and initially thought I was being visited by a ghost before I realized this was my brain at work, my memory associating her gentle tenor with the words on the page.

On all summer nights, if I am alone and the air is right, I am seventeen and there are millions of fireflies hovering above the cornfields. I am seventeen and I will be someone and I will conquer the world and people will remember my name.

Today I'm following up on last week's post about booking a camping trip with kids to share about how to prepare for the trip. The final post in the series will be about the actual camping but booking and assembling gear are the first things you'll need to do so here we are! Here are 36 things I recommend packing, reflecting both gear essentials and a few little luxuries.

But before I get into the basic gear needs, keep in mind that you don't need to break the bank buying all new stuff. Ask friends and family and see if anyone is willing to lend you items. We’ve both borrowed and lent; in general, people who have camping gear are happy for that gear to get some use more than a couple of times a year! Another option if you're hesitant about taking the plunge to buy all new gear is to rent gear from a place like REI. OK, now on to my list!

Shelter

1. Tent. I highly recommend having two shelters, both for sleeping purposes and to have a little more space to spread out. Our two-part tent (similar to this tent + screen room) worked great. Note: get a tent with a fly in case it rains; a groundcloth also is helpful though we didn't use this one this time around.

2. Sleeping bags. You might be able to get away with blankets for the little ones but we ended up getting sleeping bags for the girls too, which they loved.

3. Sleeping pads/mats/mattresses. You can opt for roll up mats or if you’re going to bring inflatable mattresses, get a good one. I highly recommend the AeroBed, which is the only inflatable mattress we’ve used that isn’t flat by morning!

4. Lovies. We limited Laurel and Violet to 1-2 stuffed animals each. They were happy to have them.

General Campsite Needs

5. Firewood. There were options to buy firewood at and near the camp, but we brought a bunch of collected wood from home. (It was a good mission to have the girls collect fallen branches!)

6. Matches. Make lighting fires easier...

7. Flashlights. The girls loved each having a little pocket flashlight and the grownups had full size ones.

8. Paper goods. We brought toilet paper for peeing in the woods and paper towels for mess cleanup.

9. Observation tools. Vi had a little cheapo magnifying glass that she loved using to inspect nature treasures. We also had a pair of binoculars with us.

10. Maps. Yes, paper maps. Depending on where you go, remember you might lose your signal and GPS. Go old school and bring maps!

11. Hiking gear. If you’re going to do day hikes, bring a backpack, whistles, and whatever else you’d like.

Food & Fluid

12. Food. Plan out your meals in advance to prevent excess and waste. We only needed two meals on site, so we brought hot dogs, veggie burgers, and quesadilla fixings (+ snacking veggies and fruits) for dinner and eggs and cereal bars for breakfast. We brought canned soup and beans as a backup but didn’t end up eating them. We also brought plenty of snacks + s’mores supplies for dessert. I also recommend precutting all your fruit and veggies (and anything else that requires cutting) at home so you don't need to bring a knife and cutting board.

13. Cooler. We left our cooler in the back of the car to reduce animal interest.

14. Water jugs. We brought three gallons of water with us.

15. Water bottles. It's hard to stay hydrated as you do at home. I recommend bringing one large (Nalgene-type) water bottle for each family member and keep refilling from your water jugs.

16. Can opener. If you’re bringing canned goods.

17. Cooking spray. Avoid a spill and bring spray instead of liquid.

18. Stove. Jon has a great Primus two-burner stove. It was easy to set up and cook with. (We thought about bringing a small grill but skipped it to save on space.)

19. Propane tanks. To hook up to said stove.

20. Cookware. We brought a small fry pan + pot. It was perfect for making quesadillas, hot dogs, burgers, and eggs.

21. Plates and utensils. We brought reusable plastic plates and cutlery. We used small quantities of water to scrape and rinse dishes and then poured the water into the fire.

22. Stovetop espresso maker. I am one of those people who loves a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and it was like a slice of heaven to have coffee just like we have at home at camp via our little Bialetti stovetop espresso maker (I even brought sugar and heavy cream...sooo good!).

Clothing + Activities

23. Clothing. I especially recommend light long layers to give you protection from mosquitos. (Also bring socks for the same reason, even though it's summer.)

24. Raincoats. Even if rain isn’t in the forecast, bring them. We ended up using ours as an additional layer of protection from the aggressive mosquitos.

25. Hats. Good for sun protection and also as an added layer of defense against mosquitos (do you sense a theme??).

26. Swim gear. Bring bathing suits, towels, goggles, and life jackets for little ones in case you make it to the water.

27. Shoes. Bring at least two pairs, in case one pair gets soaked. Laurel and my trekkers worked great!

28. Books and magazines. Go device free and bring books and magazines. It was so nice to relax and kick back and read with the girls. Activity books are also a nice option.

29. Little treats. My friend Charles recommends having some small treats at the ready: "Hide some small, fun 'stocking stuffers' for use in critical moments if necessary. Pokemon card packs, small Lego items, and coloring/sticker books have worked well for us - especially key on long drives!"

Personal Effects

30. First aid kit. We never travel without one.

31. Bug spray. OMG ESSENTIAL (mosquitos adore me and Laurel). We brought several different eco-friendly kinds (Quantum Buzzaway, Badger Balm Anti-bug Balm, All Terrain Kids Herbal Armor) and they all worked great.

32. Sunscreen. Ever essential.

33. Antibacterial wipes. Handy for when you don't want to trek to the bathroom to cleanup hands.

34. Diapers and wipes. If you’re still in the zone.

35. Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Oral hygiene = good.

36. Facial wipes. I brought facial cleansing wipes, which made it easy (and refreshing) to clean up at the end of the day. Like my coffee, they felt like a little luxury from home.

*Note: this list doesn't reflect all the things you would need to camp with babies. Feel free to weigh in on that topic in the comments!

Do you have other recommendations for preparing for a camping trip with kids? Share them in the comments below!

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 arrived back from my aunt's funeral around six. We'd planned to rent a pontoon all day, enjoy the lake before camping. That didn't happen, but death comes when it comes, nothing to be done about that. My aunt was a wonderful woman, and despite the Pick's disease that robbed her of her speech, what I remember most from her was conversation.

I returned from the airport still in my funeral dress and immediately changed to camping gear. We managed to pitch the tent and get down burgers and s'mores before the rain came. In my grief I went straight for sleep, but within a few hours I awoke in a puddle where the tent leaked. My daughter slept through hours of thunderstorms when my husband and I sat stark awake, hands pressed against the leaky tent walls, wanting to make it to morning for her on her first night in a real tent.

When the thunder peaked, she awoke and hid in her sleeping bag, and I pulled her down to me on the mat off the cot and felt that feeling a mother feels when comforting her young no matter what the age.

That feeling might be the meaning of life.

I woke this morning with the tent rocking in a 20-mph wind, but in the midst of my grief and exhaustion was the memory of comforting my girl with my physical self against the wind and rain, and the knowledge I would not let anything come between her and me.