Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend! It's been a very good one here, and I'm sharing the Weekly Blueprint early because there are a lot of options for tomorrow, including programming in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There's a link for service projects below, and also, check out this collection of ideas for engaging kids in volunteerism, 8 ways to declutter for good, and 8 ways to donate winter gear to kids in need.

January 19: Design, build, and explore a mini city constructed completely out of cardboard. (Acton)

January 19: Celebrate MLK by creating a child of the world doll. (Arlington)

January 19: Belmont World Film Festival celebrates Dr. King. (Arlington)

January 19:  An open house at the MFA in honor of MLK Jr Day. (Boston)

January 19: Special access to the Children’s Museum for some very special kids. (Boston)

January 19: Celebrate the life and leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. (Boston)

January 19: Enjoy music and hear distinguished leaders speaking Dr. King’s words. (Boston)

January 19: Learn more about zoo careers and conservation. (Boston)

January 19: Help create a community art mobile as a reminder of MLK Jr’s dreams. (Easton)

January 19: Pajama party concert with SteveSongs. (Lexington)

January 19: Ivy and Bean the musical. (Newton)

January 19: Josh and the Jamtones MLK Day bash and DVD release party. (Newton)

January 19: Honor Dr. King’s memory with service projects. (Various locations)

January 19: Family hike to Little Prospect Hill. (Waltham)

January 19: Learn about the year round bird residents of the Charles River. (Waltham)

January 19: Stamp activities, stamp scavenger hunts and design your own Dr. King stamps. (Weston)

January 20: Hop aboard the rockin’ railroad. (Wellesley)

January 21: Food for Thought Film Series: Y.E.R.T (Harvard)

January 21: Fill your day with art and play. (Lincoln)

January 23: A festival of music, stories, plays and activities promoting financial literacy. (Boston)

Image credit: Museum of African American History

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're having a great week! This has been another unusually crazy week for me (between caregiving and work things) but things are slowly smoothing out and I'm really looking forward to a (hopefully low key) weekend. It's also a little quiet around town but if you're looking for something to do, enjoy today's collection of events via the Weekend Roundup:

1. Design, build, and explore a mini city constructed completely out of cardboard. (Acton)

2. Boston’s hottest magician, Bonaparté. (Arlington)

3. A film festival for the whole family. (Belmont)

4. The Boston Auto Show has driven into town. (Boston)

5. ASL interpreted Critter Day. (Boston)

6. Shake off winter cold with a trip to the tropics. (Boston)

7. Comedy goes airborne. (Brookline)

8. World premiere of The Pied Piper of Hamlin puppet show. (Brookline)

9. Search for signs of animals in the snow. (Framingham)

10. Lexington Pops Chorus winter concert. (Lexington)

11. Smart, hip annual comedy cabaret. (Newton)

12. Learn more about New England’s civil rights legacy. (Sturbridge)

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today, Rene shares 5 HIIT workouts that have been kicking her rump -- in no time at all:

Looking to get in shape but have no time, no gym membership, and no idea where to start? Check out HIIT workouts to get the blood pumping and the sweat rolling. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, where a series of exercises are performed at high speed with high intensity in a short amount of time, with short breaks between sets. (You might also see these called Tabata workouts. Same principle.)

A sample workout could be 20-60 seconds of classic exercises (think squats, jumping jacks, and push-ups) with a 10-second rest in between sets. The sets are repeated any number of times, but the workout never exceeds 30 minutes. In fact, you can get a full body workout in as little as four minutes. HIIT workouts are not only effective, but are also quick, free, and you don't have to leave the house. Here are a few great routines to try out.

1. Straightforward HIIT Workout. No video is needed for this straightforward workout that you can really do anywhere. This is my too-tired-to-think fallback routine, thanks to the basic movements I remember by heart after many, many rounds.

2. World's Fastest Workout (4 Minutes). This four-minute workout gets the job done before your brain can even register it's exercising and hates it. I like to crank this one out while the kids are zoning with the iPad -- sometimes twice if I'm feeling ambitious.

3. 12-Minute Lean & Tone Workout. Twelve minutes of exercise is totally doable during nap time or before you fall into bed. I use five pound dumbbells for this workout, though the trainer uses ten pound weights. If you don't have dumbbells, use large canned goods from your pantry, or a full 12-ounce bottle of water.

4. 15-Minute At-Home Workout. Perform each exercise at high intensity first and then regular intensity to fire up your metabolism ASAP. I use the stopwatch on my phone to keep track of time.

5. 30-Minute Body Weight Workout. I printed this routine out to ensure I performed the moves correctly. This detailed HIIT workout is 30 minutes long but will burn major calories using only your own body weight as resistance.

Totally doable right? Have you tried HIIT workouts? Share your thoughts or favorite routines in the comments below!

Just before the holidays, Jon and I enjoyed a day in Rockport, inspired by a kind invitation from the Town of Rockport. Though we were there for less than 24 hours, I simply fell in love with this seaside town and know we will visit again soon! Just 45 minutes north of Boston (and commuter rail accessible!), Rockport is replete with awesome. And as we explored, I realized that I had a great Local Gems feature on my hands!

Today I'm featuring 14 picks I discovered during our little overnight trip. However, I am certain based on the reading material I reviewed that there is tons more to explore -- both in seasonal shops/restaurants and attractions more conducive to flip flop weather! Think of this feature as the Rockport winter edition; once I have a chance to explore further during the spring/summer, I have a feeling I'll have a lot more gems to share!

1. Blue Lobster Grille. Casual, comfortable, and bustling with activity, Blue Lobster Grille was our first stop when we arrived in Rockport. The food was hearty (and generously portioned!) and props to the availability of local beers. Be sure to hit the ATM in advance as this is a cash-only cafe.

2. Lula's Pantry. Foodies (and foodie gift givers) will delight in Lula's Pantry. Filled with pretty kitchen accessories and food gifts (including lots of locally made items), my only struggle was with the overwhelmed-by-awesome factor. I spent a considerable amount of time paralyzed in front of the gourmet salts and gorgeous tableware options. (Total first world problem, I know.)

3. Rockport Art Association. Rockport is clearly an artist's haven, with galleries seemingly at every turn; it reminds me quite a lot of Wellfleet and Kennebunkport. If you're looking for a starting point, head to the Rockport Art Association, which offers exhibits and educational offerings.

4. The Tuck Inn. Rockport's range of accommodation options shows that the town is clearly ready for visitors. And if you're looking for a homey, cozy option just steps from Bearskin Neck, head to The Tuck Inn. Owners Liz and Scott Wood make their guests feel like family, and if you enjoy baked goods, PREPARE YOURSELF. The breakfast buffet was bursting with fresh fruit, yogurt, an incredible warm homemade applesauce, and a truly crazy array of baked treats. Scott even sent us off with a goodie bag of delicious baked treats to take home to the girls. (My girls will love you forever, Scott.)

5. Toad Hall Bookstore. I adore indie bookstores and Toad Hall donates 100% of net profits to environmental charities (FIST BUMP, Toad Hall!). The entry floor is small but packed with titles and if you've got the legs to try the narrow spiral staircase, you can ascend to used and sale titles upstairs or children's books downstairs.

6. Brothers Brew Coffee Shop. Coffee on vacation tastes even better than coffee on a regular day and Brothers Brew doesn't disappoint. They also offer killer homemade donuts for 94 cents. I almost never buy donuts but here I couldn't resist. And it was hard to stop at one. (Now that I think of it, I'm wondering why I stopped at one.)

7. Milk & Honey. Milk & Honey is such a tantalizing gift store that I visited and shopped twice within an 18-hour period. Filled with gorgeous home goods, bath products, and specialty food items (e.g., fancy marshmallows, condiments), it was very, very easy to shop here (for others and, er, myself). I recently learned that 95% of the locally owned small businesses in Rockport are woman-owned (I don't know about you but this makes me want to shop there even more) and the woman who owns Milk & Honey (as well as a small clothing/accessories store across the street) has impeccable taste. Also, I loved that the owner's mom was working the cash register during our first visit. Hooray for moms!

8. The Paper Mermaid. The Paper Mermaid is a small shop offering a delightfully curated array of paper goods, gifts, and toys. As a former employee of Paper Source, it was fun to see some of PS's wares for sale there. I picked up some lovely kids' gifts there.

9. Rockport Music Shalin Liu Performance Center. The former semi-professional musician in me nearly passed out when we peeked into the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Rockport offers a truly impressive range of cultural programming year-round, and what blew my mind was the stage's oceanfront backdrop. Simply magical. I admittedly totally fantasized about playing my college recital programs in that space.

10. The Grand Café at Emerson Inn By the Sea. For a more upscale dining experience, head to the elegant Grand Café at Emerson Inn By the Sea. The stately 36-room seaside inn is on the Historic Hotels of America registry and The Grand Café conjured a similar feeling of grandeur, complete with live piano playing. From appetizers to dessert, the food was delicious (the seafood stew was amazing and seemed to include many pounds of seafood, which I devoured in entirety) and the cocktails delightful.

11. Halibut Point State Park. It was quite cold and windy when we were in Rockport, but nothing could keep us from exploring Halibut Point State Park. This oceanside state park includes breathtaking quarry views (no rails or ropes; keep back from the edge!) and trails that lead to the ocean. The ocean truly is my happy place and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was moved to tears by the beauty and vastness down on the rocks. Also, this may sound slightly crazy crunchy, but I was quite excited that the porta potty at this site is hooked up to a composting system.

12. Helmut's Strudel. Tucked away towards the end of Bearskin Neck and set back a bit off the road, I couldn't resist this strudel house. I mean, I totally applaud a baked good purveyor that wants to go narrow in a niche! And Helmut's delivered. The warm little cafe was a respite against the cold and offered quality strudel at an affordable price.

13. Bean & Leaf Cafe. Open year-round and offering cafe seating with a gorgeous view of the water, the Bean & Leaf Cafe is a good spot for families to refuel; plenty of kid-friendly offerings, coffee, and treats.

14. Motif #1 Rockport Harbor. There's a reason this red fishing shack/barn (known as Motif #1) in Rockport Harbor is one of the most photographed structures in the United States. I couldn't help but let out a happy little sigh when I saw it. And I immediately took out my phone to snap this picture.

Want more Local Gems? Check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Coolidge Corner, Huron Village, Easton, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, Natick, Newton North villages, Watertown, and Wellesley features. And if you'd like to pen a Local Gems guest post, contact Christine at editor@bostonmamas.com to check on availability.

Disclosure: The Town of Rockport kindly invited me to visit and I was invited to stay at The Tuck Inn and enjoy dinner at The Grand Cafe gratis. All opinions about these two gems (and the other 12 featured here) are, of course, my own.

Image credits: all images via linked websites or associated Facebook pages, with the exception of Halibut Point State Park, Motif #1, and the first thumbnail, via Christine Koh.

I had a teacher in fifth grade. She told us this story:

I had a cat when I was a child. Someone told me that cats always land on their feet.

I took my cat to the second-floor balcony and dropped it. The cat landed on its feet.

"Interesting," I said, "but not necessarily conclusive."

I took the cat to the first-floor balcony and dropped it. It landed on its feet.

"Interesting," I said, "but not necessarily conclusive."

I took the cat one step up from the ground and dropped it.

It landed on its head.

And so began my education.

*I do not believe this was a true story. But I'm 40, and I still remember it. Well played, Mrs. Crum.

Today's Lessons Learned essay (see submission guidelines here) on standing back comes via Kim Kalicky, author of Mothers Fulfilled and Away at a Camp in Maine. Thanks so much for sharing this essay, Kim!

The hardest thing we'll ever have to do as parents is stand back and let our children be who they are and who they are meant to be...especially if it happens not to be what we expected or hoped.

Oh, we thought when they were babies, toddlers, and middle schoolers that the physical aspects of clothing, feeding, and sheltering them was taxing and exhausting (albeit extremely joyful and enlightening), but that was just physical. To me, dealing with the physical is always easier than dealing with emotional.

It's a challenging balancing act coaching, leading, and teaching children how to be giving, thoughtful, kind, and productive citizens of the world -- yet competitive enough to survive in work and play on the long trajectory thorugh childhood and adolescence and then into college (if they choose to attend) and the work world.

So when have we arrived?  When do we step back, let go, glide, and hope the coaching, leading, and teaching has met some success?

I told my son at his 18th birthday that I thought it was time for me to stop giving him advice. His eyebrows rose slightly and his eyes opened a little wider in laughing question. I said I wasn't clear if it was 18 or maybe 22, after college...I wasn't quite sure. He said I'd never stop giving him advice -- to date, every day of his life had been a moral lesson. (Every day? I'm sorry!)

I decided it was probably 18, because at that point an adult's advice to an adult child becomes criticism, no longer advice. His character was formed by middle school; by 18, at his core, he was who he was meant to be. I said, rest assured, I'd always have advice (and a quote or two or moral lesson) and opinions, but I'd keep them to myself unless asked. If he wanted my advice, I was always there for him, but I needed, as surely as the sun rises each morning, to respect him and his decisions for who he was and love him for that and only that.

Allowing children to be their own people, apart from us, is the ultimate quest and the hardest part of the parenting journey. Understanding they are not "ours," but totally their own beings on their own journeys takes introspection to arrive at acceptance. We've just had the honor and privilege of coaching, leading, and teaching them on their quest...and standing back when they see for themselves who they are and what they want in this life.

Do you want to submit a Lessons Learned essay? See submission guidelines here.

Image credit: Drawing by Kim Kalicky's son, who is a student at Savannah College of Art & Design for game design/computer animation.

No matter what I do, I never get people's addresses right on holiday cards. Then they start coming back, and most of the time, I'm all screw it, Christmas is over and we can stop pretending this is a fun thing to do.

Apparently holiday greetings make everyone ragey.

Especially people who live where my BIL and SIL used to.

*shakes fist in the direction of Cedar Rapids*

I have this metal, over-the-door snowflake/flower hybrid with a bunch of slots to hold holiday cards. Despite my bad attitude today, I do very much enjoy watching the flower fill until I can only see the pink epicenter. It makes me feel loved to have so many people in my life who want to show me what they and their children look like. (The letters, maybe not so much, but that's a personal preference.)

There's a flip side to this loved feeling, and that is the guilt feeling that comes from throwing them all away. I tried telling myself I was hanging on to them until Epiphany, but that was like, last week.

It's time. And that means it's time to let go of the six remaining cards in my little box, too. People can see what we look like again in eleven months.

Goodbye, carefully designed, rounded-edge, heavy card-stock lovelies! I can't wait to see what you all look like next year!

How long do you hold on to holiday cards?

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! After a really stressful week, I was so relieved to recalibrate a bit over the weekend. Though I'm still in caregiving mode, I also was able to help celebrate a friend's 40th, engage in plant therapy, and experiment with some cooking. Amazing how restorative those simple things are! Anyhow, let's get rolling with a great week, starting with the Weekly Blueprint:

January 13: Mass General Hospital for Children presents a children’s health education day. (Boston)

January 13: It’s Toddler Tuesday at Legoland. (Somerville)

January 13 - 25: The Pied Piper of Hamlin puppet show world premiere. (Brookline)

January 14: Learn how to make your teeth happy!. (Acton)

January 14 - 19: Design, build, and explore a mini city constructed completely out of cardboard. (Acton)

January 14: Que Bueno! A storytime en espanol. (Boston)

January 15: Get up close and personal when the art comes off the wall. (Lincoln)

January 15: Just what does a distinguished scientist do all day? (Worcester)

January 16: An interactive musical performance with musicians From the Top. (Boston)

January 16 - 19: A film festival for the whole family. (Belmont)

January 16: Curious George storytime is back. (Cambridge)

Image credit: The Discovery Museums

Happy Friday everyone, I hope this week has been treating you well! It's been a very tough one for me personally, but I'm feeling a million times better after getting out for a run this morning (that line "I run to burn off the crazy" is no joke!) and I'm ready to tackle the day! If you're looking for something to do this weekend, enjoy this curated list of 18 picks via the Weekend Roundup. Also, I encourage you to collect winter gear to donate this weekend!

1. Especially for Me evening at the museum for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. (Acton)

2. Magic show with Rupayan Neogy. (Acton)

3. Stories from Snowy Lands puppet show. (Arlington)

4. A magic show for smart people. (Arlington)

5. Live performance by Voices Boston. (Boston)

6. All about penguins family day at the aquarium. (Boston)

7. Warm up in the tropics of the zoo. (Boston)

8. Time for breakfast with the gorillas. (Boston)

9. The final day to hold onto the holidays. (Boston)

10. Spend the morning with Debbie and Friends. (Brookline) 

11. The world premiere of The Pied Piper of Hamlin puppet show. (Brookline)

12. Boston’s Celtic Music Festival. (Cambridge)

13. Kids in the kitchen making chips and hummus. (Canton)

14. Snow shoes and stone soup. (Dover)

15. An MLK Jr day mitzvah project. (Framingham)

16. Meet wild animals from New England and beyond. (Harvard)

17. Make a winter nature journal. (Lincoln)

18. Spend your Saturday seaside. (West Tisbury)

Image credit: Downtown Boston