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

As I said last week in my roundup of adorable free Halloween printables, I am so, ridiculously grateful for the creative people online who share their how-to's. Case in point, though I do own a sewing machine, it is, in fact, another piece of gear and another step if you're trying to DIY a costume. Today I wanted to share a roundup of 10 clever no-sew costumes, where your primary tools generally will be scissors and a glue gun. AWESOME.

I'm feeling less intimidated now to riff and attempt Laurel's desired M & M costume! Click through on each of the below links for the full tutorials. And thank you, fellow bloggers, for being so awesome!

1. Use adorable pajamas as a Halloween costume base (that they can then go right to sleep in....WIN).

2. Turn baby into a popcorn box with felt and a glue gun.

3. Literally. Time to make the donuts.

4. You won’t be saying Let it Go to this easy no-sew Elsa costume.

5. Is it weird that I want to make myself a pair of these mermaid leggings?

6. OMG family of Care Bears!

7. Create a unicorn in under an hour.

8. Every dreamer needs a jet pack.

9. Get spooky in a hurry with these easy bat wings.

10. Take your pick of any of these adorable super hero costumes.

Image credits: all images via linked sources above; click through full the full DIYs!

"He's in the forest. Behind my house."

So remember that college savings projection graph that blew my mind last month? As promised, I’m going to share some nuts and bolts about the 529 in a forthcoming post, but meanwhile, I wanted to invite you to come to the lovely Stone Zoo this Saturday, October 18, where MEFA and Fidelity will host their U.Fund Dreams Tour tent (which will be open from 10:00am to 3:30pm).

The tent will be super fun for kids, with discovery and imagination activities to inspire kids to think about what they might want to be when they grow up, and to act it out (and take home photographic evidence!). So stop on by! I plan on bringing Laurel and Violet, both for some tent fun, and also to visit the animals. Because who knows, perhaps their future lies with the animals!

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Fidelity & MEFA for this post in support of the U.Fund Dreams Tour. All thoughts and opinions are -- of course -- my own.

The text came at 7 am, but I didn't see it until right before my girl and my husband were about to leave. 

"Dear parents," it began, and I knew what it was going to say. The rain outside poured down so hard it sounded angry: field trip cancelled.

Just a normal Monday. Nothing to look forward to. I met her eyes. She crumpled before me. 

As I listened to the frustration, disappointment and rage pour out of her, I thought how much I've wanted to do that in the past few weeks. Nothing in particular has happened, just the culmination of  several mountains that won't move no matter how hard I hurl myself against them. 

My husband told her about two field trips when he was a kid that were cancelled due to inclement weather. I told her about "All Summer in a Day," one of the first Ray Bradbury short stories I ever loved because of the moment the children realize what they've done to Margot, even though they really didn't mean to. I read it around my daughter's age. It was the beginning of my awareness that people can do awful things without meaning to, and they don't get a pass because they didn't mean to. You can mean to do all the good things and still screw up. And if you do, it's still your fault. And if it's your fault, but you're trying to be a good person, then maybe that means you have to cut everyone some slack.

And the world gets way more complicated.

She rested her head on my shoulder and I patted her silky red hair, wishing I could take away the rain and give her the gift of a school-free, field-trippy day, but I am not God. I don't control the rain. I couldn't even control her expectations. 

I saw the text too late to give her time to adjust. That's why the outburst came so fast and so hard.

Left to my own devices, I would've let her ride the day out on the couch, ease into the week in more of the manner her expectations expected. My husband, the more practical and old-school of the two of us, was having none of it. I retreated to my office and left him to deal with the crying child, grateful for once in his crazy traveling job he was actually here to dry the tears. 

Sometimes I need a break from drying the tears. I cry too easily myself.

My girl came home a little bit ago, wet and tired. 

It's still raining. I don't expect it will stop until tomorrow.

Happy Sunday! What a gorgeous day to celebrate, not only my birthday -- which Jon and the girls have made very festive -- but I'm seeing so many friends enjoying time with families or running first-ever races and personal bests on half and full marathons! Meanwhile, I'm dropping the Weekly Blueprint early since there are lots of great events happening during tomorrow's holiday and I'm going to be spotty online today and tomorrow. Enjoy!

October 13: You bring your imagination, they’ll provide the Legos. (Acton)

October 13: Family hike to the witches caves. (Ashland)

October 13: Sleeping Beauty puppet show. (Brookline)

October 13: Early access to the museum for children with special needs. (Boston)

October 13: Live music, dance and more to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. (Boston)

October 13: All the street performers, all at once. (Boston)

October 13: FORE! Kids golf tournament for the whole family. (Easton)

October 13: A day of eco-friendly fun with recycled crafts, wildlife demonstrations, and ideas for green living. (Lincoln)

October 13: Create autumn memories at this fall festival. (Milton)

October 13: Pinkalicious the Musical! (Newton)

October 13: The Smolak Farm Harvest Festival is open today. (North Andover)

October 13: Scavenger hunt along the river. (Sudbury)

October 13: The final day of the Topsfield Fair. (Topsfield)

October 13: An outdoor picture game. (Waltham)

October 16: Faneuil Hall story time. (Boston)

October 16: Join us for an owl prowl. (Chelsea)

October 16: Haunted gingerbread house building workshop. (Lexington)

October 16: See the beauty of balance in motion. (Lincoln)

October 16 + 17: Live indie-rock music performances. (Boston)

October 15 - 19: Arlington International Film Festival. (Arlington)

October 17: The pumpkins are all aglow. (Carver) 

October 17: Dinosaur month story time. (Cambridge)

Image credit: Mass Audubon

Between Laurel doing Girls on the Run and Violet being a high energy preschooler, my girls basically don't stop moving. And this fall, they've been running around in New Balance (thanks, New Balance!), which always offers a colorful assortment of kicks for kids. But especially cute and deserving as a Friday Find pick? Their zoo-inspired infant/preschool sneaker collection; these adorable shoes feature easy on/off closure + lightweight styling that make it easy for kids to get up and go (and go, and go).

The collection pays homage to zebras, reptiles, tigers, and peacocks. BEYOND, right?

Want more Friday Finds? Of course you do! Check out: Oontz portable speaker, textured dip bowls, Lands' End Trekkers, Misfit Shine, Smooth Move, Beyond Baby, Bella Sante HydraFacial, chair reupholstery tutorial, Mizuno Wave Prophecy, Jordana lip balm stains, La Fresh eco-wipes, ridiculously awesome pants, parachute cord crafts, Where Is The Cake?, and Travelpro luggage

Image credits: Christine Koh, New Balance

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're having a great week! Things have been a little hectic around here (though good hectic, I guess!) so I'm looking forward to taking things down several notches over the long weekend and soaking in some birthday fun. My pro-40 feelings are still with me; I'm excited to ring in 41! Meanwhile, if you're looking for something to do, enjoy this 32 event mega roundup, lovingly curated for your consideration!

1. Free evening at the museum for the deaf or hard of hearing. (Acton)

2. Bring your imagination. Legos provided. (Acton)

3. Three-day spectacle of light, sound and projection art. (Boston)

4. The largest display of LEGO® art ever assembled. (Boston)

5. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with music, dance and games. (Boston)

6. Concert with Mr. G, Latin GRAMMY nominee. (Brookline)

7. Sleeping Beauty marionette show. (Brookline)

8. The pumpkins are all aglow. (Carver)

9. Celebrating local food and growing community. (Concord)

10. Columbus Day parade celebration. (East Boston)

11. The thrill of the chase of letterboxing. (Framingham)

12. Riverside blues and bbq. (Greenfield)

13. A weekend celebration of the autumn harvest. (Harvard)

14. Are there really dinosaurs in Holyoke? (Holyoke)

15. Spooky hayrides. (Lexington)

16. Think you can’t draw? Think again. (Lincoln)

17. Columbus Day weekend fall festival. (Lunenburg)

18. Observe resident birds and fall migrants at a unique urban habitat. (Mattapan)

19. A playdate with nature. (Mattapan)

20. Party down by the river at the Mystic River Celebration. (Medford)

21. Fall Festival at Blue Hills Trailside Museum. (Milton)

22. Crafts, fine art, music and food. (Newburyport)

23.The Farm Festival. (North Andover)

24. Fun in the sun rail jam. (Princeton)

25. The final weekend of the Topsfield Fair. (Topsfield)

26. It a festival of outlet shopping. (Somerville)

27. Get out and HONK! (Somerville)

28. Help the zoo by recycling your bottles and cans. (Stoneham)

29. Breakfast with the bears. (Stoneham)

30. Outdoor storytime on Waltham Common. (Waltham)

31. Cranberry harvest celebration with bogside demonstrations and cranberry-related activities. (Wareham)

32. Halloween hike at Boo Meadow Brook. (Worcester)

Image credit: Boston Children’s Museum