Summer

As a mother of three little ones who also works outside the home, I keep a lot of schedules in my brain. In summer, it feels like everyone is doing something new every week, and it's a challenge to keep track of it all. I have definitely had moments of panic when I forget where my oldest is and think that I've forgotten to pick her up on time. I'll be grateful to get back into the school routine and have it stay the same for the next nine months!

If you're a kid, nothing says fun like roller coasters, bumper cars, water slides, and carousels. And Boston's amusement parks have it all! These 10 family-friendly parks are all less than two hours from Boston — perfect for a...

Earlier this year, we experienced our first medical emergency when my 4-year-old busted his lip and chin open and needed to get four stitches. I took a first-aid course two years ago, which covered everything from head injuries to tick...

How about a red, white, and blue LAYERED punch this Fourth of July! Ingredients: Red, white, and blue beverages of your choice. This "recipe" creates a layered red, white, and blue drink, and you'll need to layer the liquids by sugar...

We also want to make sure we don’t forget to do the things that are often forgotten about in the midst of big plans and special opportunities. We will go to the public library and check out books. We will lie on the ground and look at the clouds and daydream. We will take morning walks on the beach and throw rocks into the ocean at dusk. Ice cream is for certain, as are walks by the lighthouse and around our neighborhood. We won’t forget about riding bikes, shooting hoops, blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, and searching for wildflowers. And we will grill and eat outside, play with water balloons, go swimming, play tag, roll around in the grass, search for bugs, catch butterflies, and be lazy and bored.

The Cape escape has begun. It’s not easy to get there, given that traffic has picked up, but once you’re there it’s worth the drive. I have been lucky enough to spend summers on Cape Cod since I was...

This summer is looking a little bit different. This is the summer of COVID and social distancing. If your family is still laying low, you might be wondering how you'll make it through a camp-less, socially distant summer. Should...

Five years and one million lifetimes ago, I was the "18 summers" mom. Oh, how naive I was. When I read that blog post now, I cringe. The woman who wrote it is not the woman I am now. A...

A group of moms hurried in to preschool pickup, many of us lugging younger siblings, scaling the stairs to the classroom with careful hurry. One mother turned toward the group and said, "I can't believe there's only one more...

Too hot to cook? Snack plate. Forgot to plan something for dinner? Snack plate. Time to clean out the fridge? Snack plate. And while you're at it — make it patriotic!  A red, white, and blue snack plate is easy to...

When I think back on summers as a kid, I remember lazy days by the pool, concerts in the park behind my grandparents' house, jars of fireflies with carefully punctured lids. Time was unstructured and seemed to move slower than the rush of the school year. As a mom, this is how I want my son to experience summer. And yet, lately it seems like every news story or social media post about summer is filled with terrifying warnings about ticks, sun poisoning, dehydration, drowning... the list goes on and on. It is almost enough to make me want to hunker down in our apartment all summer (with the air conditioner on, of course).

Drive-in movies are the perfect summer experience! Pop open the hatch and sit in the trunk, or grab some blankets and lawn chairs and set up right at the bumper to watch your favorite flicks on the big screen,...