Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a great week. If you're looking for things to do, I've got a big roundup for you this week, including lots of free options. Yay, free! And speaking of that, I hope you'll come out to talk tech with me tomorrow at Microsoft Prudential. It's going to be a great panel and I hope to meet you there!

August 11: Unwind with some free yoga. (Boston)

August 11 + 13: Family farm access and free admission for those with special needs. (Lincoln)

August 11 - 16: If You Dream; an exploration of children who have changed the world. (Boston)

August 12: Come talk tech, education, and teacher/parent collaborations with me! (Boston)

August 12: Rainbow Fish reading and activity at Whole Foods. (Boston)

August 12: Sing sea shanties and more with the Revels on this sunset cruise. (Boston)

August 12: Free concert with Little Groove. (Boston)

August 12: Downtown dancing with Greg Coles. (Ipswich)

August 12 + 14: Performance by Berklee musician Sarah McKenzie. (Boston)

August 13: Music, mime and physical comedy. (Acton)

August 13: Landmarks Orchestra presents The Legacy of the Spirituals. (Boston)

August 13: Creatures of the night family hike that promises not to be creepy. (Chappaquiddick)

August 13:  From field to fork crop dinner. (Concord)

August 13: Outdoor story hour. (Hingham)

August 13: Tractors and trucks at Smolak Farm. (North Andover)

August 13: Free concert - Divas with a Twist with Greg Greenway. (Plymouth)

August 13: Sit out on the patio and enjoy a great local band. (Somerville)

August 13: Amazing animals of Cape Cod LIVE! (South Wellfleet)

August 13: Invite your best doll friend for a special day out. (Wenham)

August 14: An I spy woodland trail search. (Acton)

August 14: Enjoy the sounds of the Song Yi Jeon Quintet. (Boston)

August 14: The museum has gone to the dogs. (Easton)

August 14: Thursday night picnic concert with The Beantown Swing Orchestra. (Ipswich)

August 14: Children’s tour of the farm. (Lexington)

August 14: Outdoor summer wine tasting. (Lincoln)

August 14: Yum! Make your own ice cream with foraged fruit and high quality ingredients. (South Wellfleet)

August 15: Free admission to The Discovery Museums. (Acton)

August 15: Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell: Beetlejuice. (Boston)

August 15: Free admission to The Institute of Contemporary Art. (Boston)

August 15: Free admission to Plimoth Plantation. (Plymouth)

August 15: Free admission to Garden in the Woods. (Framingham)

August 15: Free admission to Museum of Russian Icons. (Boston)

August 15: Free admission to Fitchburg Art Museum. (Fitchburg)

August 15: Free admission to Historic Deerfield. (Deerfield)

August 15: Free admission to Reagle Music Theater. (Waltham)

August 15: Morningstar Access to the museum for children with special needs. (Boston)

August 15 - 24: The Marshfield Fair begins. (Marshfield)

August 15: Happy hour yoga in the park. (South Boston)

August 15 + 16: Get ready for the Falmouth Road Race. (Falmouth)

Image credit: Verrill Farm

Happy Friday everyone, what an incredibly beautiful morning...perfect for a longer run than I had originally planned! Anyway, I have a very full day today and then I'm looking forward to kicking the weekend off with the family. There's lots to do in and around town -- enjoy any or all (if you're feeling super ambitious!) of these 26 event picks in the Weekend Roundup:

1. Especially for Me night at the museum for children with Autism. (Acton)

2. Magic show with Rupayan Neogy. (Acton)

3. Free family film festival presents Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. (Boston)

4. Berklee Music Fest. (Boston)

5. Free Commonwealth classical concerts. (Boston)

6. Final weekend for free performances of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. (Boston)

7. All about sharks family day. (Boston)

8. If You Dream; an exploration of children who have changed the world. (Boston)

9. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

10. Chatham Arts and Crafts Show. (Chatham)

11. Music at the Manse. (Concord)

12. The Gloucester Blues Festival. (Gloucester)

13. Music, wine and a taste of old Hanover. (Hanover)

14. The Bolton Fair. (Lancaster)

15. Wilson Farm Corn Festival. (Lexington)

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

17. Build it and be it; castle and costume construction. (Lincoln)

18. Put on your dancing shoes for the New England Dance Festival. (Newton)

19. The Pembroke Arts Festival. (Pembroke)

20. Plymouth Rock Harborfest. (Plymouth)

21. Investigate the local secrets of a real hidden place. (Salem)

22. Enjoy the Handmade Arts Market. (Somerville)

23. Riverfront Park Movie Series - The Lego Movie.  (Somerville)

24. The Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival. (Springfield)

25. Meet Wally and help the zoo by recycling your bottles and cans. (Stoneham)

26. 7th annual butterfly festival. (Worcester)

Image credit: Wilson Farm

I recently shared about ONE's new Girls & Women site; I'm honored to be part of such an incredible advisory board and I'll share more about this work in the fall. Meanwhile, I hope you'll read this piece I wrote on finding and celebrating voice through art. Writing the post helped me put words to my own stifled journey and why I feel it's crucial to give kids the chance to find their voice and passion.

Never doubt the power of your voice.

Image credits: my 9-year-old daughter Laurel

Like strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, summer is an awesome time for raspberries. Just this past weekend I picked up a couple of large boxes at the market and they were quickly devoured (toddlers, btw, love sticking their fingers in the raspberry holes)! Raspberries are in season in Massachusetts July to September and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 8 recipes that offer good inspiration to consume these beautiful berries.

1. Wake yourself up with a raspberry sunrise smoothie.

2. This claims to be the best raspberry bread so I'm going to give it a go!

3. I'm loving the combinations in this fresh summer salad.

4. This creamy raspberry vinaigrette sounds delicious.

5. This lemon raspberry chia pudding is easy and good for you.

6. Add a little surprise to your raspberries via these chocolate filled raspberries.

7. Oh goodness. Dark chocolate raspberry pie bars.

8. I want one of these watermelon raspberry slushies NOW.

Image credits: raspberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

Let's meet in Boston next week! On Tuesday, August 12 (3:30-5pm) I’ll be speaking on a panel hosted by Microsoft and Parade at the Microsoft Store at Prudential Center. We’ll discuss technology in schools and how to improve learning + teacher/parent collaboration; the panel will be moderated by Maggie Murphy (Editor-in-Chief of Parade) and include Ty Hapworth (Microsoft store manager), Lydia Smyers (Sr. Director, US Education at Microsoft), an educator, and me. Please come learn and mingle -- I'd love to meet you!

UPDATED 8/12: Also, AWESOME UPDATE ALERT! All attendees will be eligible to win a Microsoft PC! So come on by and enjoy the chat and you could walk out with a PC, perfect for back to school!

Image credits: 1) FreeDigitalPhotos.net; 2) Microsoft

When I was a kid, my uncles and aunts and my gran would call from far-away places and all action in the house would cease as we passed the phone from person to person, sometimes picking up a second extension that rendered the first person mouse-voiced for the remainder of the call. Time morphed from bulbous drops of homework hell to the fast lane where every minute cost thirty-five cents.

We couldn't get enough of that long-distance.

When I was a senior in high school, my boyfriend went off to college, taking a little part of my teenaged heart with him. After watching me mope around the house for a few weeks, my parents allowed me one hour a week to talk to him on the phone on their dime. I would sit in our basement in the most private possible room and talk on my sister's leftover princess phone. My boyfriend told me about his new fraternity and how different college was and how long it would be until he'd be home for a visit. I sat with a travel alarm clock between my feet, watching the second-hand sweep as we paused, listening to each other breathe, and each breath cost so much money. To be able to communicate for only one hour a week was torture. We sent letters, but they took so long to arrive the news was old and all there was to do was caress the ink and know the other person touched this piece of paper, too.

Somewhere in there, along came cell phones and affordable long-distance plans. The cheaper talking got, the less I seemed to do it. I was quick to email and slow to text. Now I communicate via words and pictures on all manner of social media with my friends, with the world, with people I've never met. I show them who I am in many ways, and that can be amazing and wonderful and new.

But usually, I just miss talking.

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! My mojo was a little all over the place given some personal matters with friends and family, but no doubt there's an awful lot to be grateful for and I took comfort in the little things like planting flowers, stories and snuggles with the girls, and good coffee. Meanwhile, let's get Monday rolling with a big Weekly Blueprint -- let's make it a great week!

August 4 + 7: Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week with events at Mama & Me. (Jamaica Plain)

August 5: Friends of Titus Sparrow Park Stacey Peasley concert. (Boston)

August 5: Eco-rock with Johnny Fireseed and the Junkyard Dogs. (Cambridge)

August 5: Downtown dancing with Greg Coles. (Ipswich)

August 5: Ice cream and...bats! (Natick)

August 5 + 7: Performance by Berklee musician Kathryn Hallberg. (Boston)

August 5 - 8: Free jazz performances from the New England Conservatory. (Boston)

August 5 - 10: Free performances of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. (Boston)

August 6: The Landmarks Orchestra presents The Boston Lyric Opera. (Boston)

August 6: Explore the shore family tour. (Chappaquiddick)

August 6: Creatures of the night family hike that promises not to be creepy. (Chappaquiddick)

August 6: Outdoor story hour. (Hingham)

August 6: Spend an evening at the beaver ponds. (Lenox)

August 6: It’s time to play in the park. Admission is free. (Lincoln)

August 6: Dragons and damsels on a farm? (Lincoln)

August 6: Learn all about our honeybee helpers. (North Andover)

August 6: Free concert - The Dave Macklin. (Plymouth)

August 6:  A night of arts and fun for teens. (Boston)

August 6: Sit out on the patio and enjoy a great local band. (Somerville)

August 6: Step back in time and become a colonial kid. (Wenham)

August 7: The jazzy sounds of Sarah McKenzie. (Boston)

August 7: Hop on your bike and explore the city’s farmers markets. (Boston)

August 7: All about dinosaurs drop in day. (Easton)

August 7: Summer concert with Black Marmot. (Harvard)

August 7: Thursday night picnic concert with The Beantown Swing Orchestra. (Ipswich)

August 7: Children’s tour of the farm. (Lexington)

August 7: The cucumber crops have grown and it’s time to start pickling! (Lincoln) 

August 7: Yum! Make your own ice cream with foraged fruit and high quality ingredients. (South Wellfleet)

August 7: Edwardian-era lawn games, and a garden adventure. (Stockbridge)

August 7: Enjoy some after work wine and chocolate therapy. (Framingham)

August 7 - September 1: Cape Ann Ceramics Festival. (Various locations)

August 8: Free admission to The Discovery Museums. (Acton)

August 8: Free admission to Boston Harbor Islands National Park. (Boston)

August 8: Free admission to Clark Art Institute. (Williamstown)

August 8: Free admission to Wenham Museum. (Wenham)

August 8: Free admission to USS Constitution Museum. (Charlestown)

August 8: Free admission to Children’s Museum at Holyoke. (Holyoke)

August 8: Free admission to Volleyball Hall of Fame. (Holyoke)

August 8: Free admission to Fuller Craft Museum. (Brockton)

August 8: Music on the harbor with Mas Ysa. (Boston)

August 8: Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell: The Lego Movie. (Boston)

August 8: Family hayride and campfire. (Lincoln)

August 8: Happy hour yoga in the park. (South Boston)

August 8-10: The Bolton Fair kicks off. (Lancaster)

Image credit: Cape Ann Ceramics Festival

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying a happy weekend! If you're looking for something to do, be sure to check out the events in the Weekend Roundup. And if you're looking to cozy up and catch up on some good reads and visuals, there's some great fodder in this edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome (and also the Best of July 2014). Enjoy, enjoy, and I'll see you back here on Monday!

- Can doctors teach the body to cure cancer?

- 15 super cute animals who just won’t give up.

- Exposed by my children for what I really look like.

- The last stand for the middle class is taking place in a parking lot in Massachusetts.

- What I’ve left unsaid on balancing career and family as a woman of color.

- The low-tech appeal of little free libraries.

- The world has changed.

- The link between work-life balance and income equality.

- Living a year as if it were my last.

- Teaching a child to wrangle, not reject, rage.

Image credit: stitched map routes via Pinterest

Happy August everyone, I hope you're having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend! I've been a little scattered all week due to work (vacation re-entry is always challenging) + some personal matters, so I'm looking forward to some quiet time to recalibrate and (hopefully) restore physical and emotional order! If you're looking for something to do, I've got a great roundup of 28 weekend events to consider. Enjoy!

1. The museum becomes a Lego zone this weekend. (Acton)

2. The ultimate block party. (Beverly)

3. Free jazz performances from the New England Conservatory. (Boston)

4. Free performances of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. (Boston)

5. Free family film festival presents Despicable Me 2. (Boston)

6. Celebrate the opening of the new exhibit, MySky. (Boston)

7. Puppet show version of The Jungle Book. (Brookline)

8. Regattabar Kids’ Summer Music Series presents the Okee Dokee Brothers. (Cambridge)

9. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

10. Round up your little buckaroos for cowboy and cowgirl weekend. (Carver)

11. Music at the Manse. (Concord)

12. Twilight walking tour of West Hanover Farms. (Hanover)

13. Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week with events at Mama & Me. (Jamaica Plain)

14. It’s ice cream weekend on the farm. (Lexington)

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

16. A festival by the sea. (Manchester-by-the-Sea)

17. Rock out at the Nantucket Music Festival. (Nantucket)

18. You can also rock out at the Onset Blues Festival. (Onset)

19. Honor thy forefathers at this Family Fun Day. (Plymouth)

20. Games, music, food, and a movie all at the beach. (Quincy)

21. The 18th Annual Arts Affair at Marina Bay. (Quincy)

22. All aboard for the Salem Maritime Festival. (Salem)

23. Family friendly fun at the Water Street Wing Fling. (Sandwich)

24. Enjoy the Handmade Arts Market. (Somerville)

25. It’s a Pet Palooza. (Somerville)

26. Riverfront Park Movie Series: Men in Black 2. (Somerville)

27. Free movie night at Bird Park. (Walpole)

28. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary fundraiser concert. (West Tisbury)

Image credit: Plymouth 400