Saco, Maine – There’s nothing better than a fall trip to the beach: that last taste of summer that is all the sweeter, knowing that the next one is probably nine months away. In fact, it could be argued that a…
Walden Pond, Off-season
Concord, Mass – We spend a lot of time at Walden Pond in the summer (all the benefits of the beach, without the $20 parking), but we do not often take advantage of this natural resource in the off-season. A half-day…
Let’s Talk about Race
Somerville, Mass – We are blessed to live in an ethnically and racially diverse town. The twins’ class of 18 includes students that are African American, Arabic, Iranian, Latino and Sikh. Last year their teachers were from Columbia and Peru, and their babysitters have…
Pre-K
Somerville, Mass – We did it. We completed our first week of pre-K without any tears–at least not on the part of the twins. Upon pickup each day, there was a positive report from both teachers and kids. Yesterday, without…
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D
Boston, Massachusetts – Now that it’s September, we’re being hit with the hottest heat wave of the summer. (Good thing all the local swimming pools and spray parks are now closed.) The twins were not up for another day at the beach,…
Finding Neverland
Cambridge, Massachusetts – When I saw this clip of Jennifer Hudson singing a song from Finding Neverland at the Tonys, I immediately bought tickets to take the whole family to see the production at the American Repertory Theater. Later, I…
Jungle Java
Ann Arbor, Michigan – I’m starting to wish that we had an older sibling in our family. Preferably a nine-year-old girl. When we pulled out the grandparents’ Lite Brite, the twins worked on it together for about five minutes before…
Eastland Mall
Detroit, Michigan – When the twins were two, for various reasons we spent a lot of time visiting the grandparents, including during winter months. Michigan winter gave us plenty of opportunities to explore the indoor play spaces of the East…
Belle Isle
Detroit, Michigan – Imagine a nearly 1000-acre island park, an idyllic green space designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and packed with recreational facilities, but easily accessible to city dwellers. Cover it with wetlands, beaches and manicured spaces, replete with picnic areas…
PuppetART Detroit Puppet Theater
Detroit, Michigan – Apparently, Detroit has the second-largest theater district in the country (after Broadway). Who knew? In the heart of it all, there is a tiny little theater devoted to the art of puppetry: PuppetART The place was founded by…