This fantastic annual event is not to be missed. Grab your passport, take a trip through Harborlight’s halls to visit a variety of countries and learn about their cultures through art, music, activities, food and more. This year you can look forward to touring Peru, Sweden, India, China, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Morocco, and the Azores.
The morning will end with live performances. Enjoy Chinese Instrumental music, the Lawrence High School Youth Dance Troupe, and Roberto Chuica – Peruvian Folklore.
Saturday, February 29th from 9:00-12:30.
$10 per family. All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you!
I ordered new sheets the other day and wanted to make sure the pockets were deep enough so the corners wouldn’t pop off. I came across a term that I hadn’t heard before so I did a quick sheet size search to make sure I was getting the right set. I came across this “cheat sheet” of sorts…. not sure why it made me laugh. I can’t lie… I spent way too much time analyzing the different family scenarios….especially the last one. It brought me back to learning to read with the Dick and Jane series. Here’s some “fun facts” about Dick and Jane from MentalFloss
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While up in New Hampshire this past week for part of school vacation, we took a trip to see Ice Castles in Woodstock.
While riding on the horse drawn slide ride (an extra that can be purchased) a gentleman visiting from Connecticut said that Ice Castles had far exceeded his expectations. I would not necessarily go that far, but we did enjoy it. We loved the short sleigh ride, the slides built into the castles were a fun bonus, and they were definitely pretty. Be mindful that their is, of course, a snack bar and gift shop….so either leave your $$ in the car…or don’t…depending on how you want to play that. We did leave our cash in the car and then felt bad saying “no” to the yummy pretzel bites and warm cinnamon buns so had to go back and get some money.
I’m glad we went, but I’m also glad it was just one part of a bigger few days. I had thought about doing a day trip last month and I think I would have been underwhelmed if that were the case. If you are in the area, definitely check it out.
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With no hockey on the calendar for a couple of days before another tournament is upon us, I decided to sneak away with Finn for some skiing, ice fishing, and Ice Castles. It was definitely cold and snowy….with a decent sized storm coming down while we were driving across the Kancamagus Highway, but we had a great time nonetheless. Our guides, Clay and Vinnie, from Fish Nerds Guide Service were awesome! We’ll definitely be booking another trip when it gets a little warmer out.
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A few of us went to the pool at the Mile Marker after a hockey game on Saturday night. I was surprised to find the bar area inside the Aqua Room closed and renovations under way. Dinner and cocktails are still served at the tables surrounding the pool…..so, have no fear. I took a walk out to the River View dining room to see what was going on. The bar that was at the far end is now also closed and a new bar has been built closer to the entrance. They did a really nice job and the new bar looks tremendous. It will be nice to have the bar closer to the kitchen so food can be passed through to the guests who are dining at the bar. Makes sense to me.
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The annual Progressive New England Boat Show is coming up NEXT weekend. The show runs from February 8th-16th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Children 12 and under are still free of charge with the purchase of adult tickets. Adult tickets are currently $14 and will be $16 at the door. Also poke around for a Groupon. This link is not active yet, but may be soon. https://www.groupon.com/deals/national-marine-manufacturers-association
Did you know that in addition to seeing all of the pretty sweet boats and water craft, the boat show has a pretty thorough schedule of seminars to attend and activities to participate in?
Navigate your way around the website above to see some of what is offered!
Presented by Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center & Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Come to Newburyport and Amesbury on Saturday, February 15, for a full day of fun indoor and outdoor activities celebrating the return of our Bald Eagles!
Learn more about these magnificent birds—as well as other amazing raptors such as Snowy Owls—and why our local habitat is so important to them.
Visit Eagle Hot Spots 9:00 am–4:00 pm
Drive yourself! Maps will be available on February 15. Naturalist guides will be onsite all day along the Merrimack River. Parking available. All ages welcome. FREE.
DISNEY CHARACTER LIVE APPEARANCES ARE NOT PART OF THIS EVENT.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
11AM-12:30PM
Lower Level Nordstrom Wing
Change is coming to Seabrook. Check out who’s shaking things up with new music, crafts and photo opps to celebrate the new Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES 2!
Northshore Mall invites the community to a ‘ZOMBIES 2’ event, aimed at entertaining and delighting children of all ages.
The event will take place on Saturday, February 15th from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
During the event, families will be able to participate in a variety of activities including; a craft project to create their own ‘ZOMBIES 2’ sling bag, an exclusive photo opportunity, various giveaways, select retail participation and more!
The fun starts in the Lower Level Nordstrom Wing.
This event does not include live character appearances.
Disney’s ‘ZOMBIES 2,’ the highly anticipated sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie ‘ZOMBIES,’ is a music- and dance-filled story that picks up as cheerleader Addison and zombie football player Zed are readying for Seabrook High’s Prawn, the school’s super-sized prom.
However, the arrival of a new group of outsiders – mysterious werewolves – threatens to shake up Seabrook’s newfound peace and causes a rift in Zed and Addison’s budding romance.
‘ZOMBIES 2’ premieres Friday, February 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.
As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid.
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The boys love a good trip to the Blackbear Barbershop. With our crazy schedule the bonus of being open seven days a week is HUGE. Check out their list of services and prices below.
260 Main St. Gloucester MA
Monday – Saturday – 7am to 7pm | Sunday – 7am to 4pm
My husband took this video of these happy deer having a blast in a nearby field. It’s so fun to see them playing…although they’re pretty well camouflaged and a little hard to see!
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Each year the 1st -3rd grade students at the school where I work, Harborlight Montessori, spend the beginning of February of creating beautiful maps of their hearts to show all of the things that fill their hearts with happiness. They first Heart Map shown is one that Finn made when he was in 3rd grade. They also make granola and scones and cut up lots of fresh fruit. They practice pouring tea and lessons in grace and courtesy so that they are ready to welcome loved ones to their very special Valentine’s Breakfast. They also rehearse beautiful songs to be sung at the event. While my boys are older now, I have such happy memories of being their guest. I hope all guests and children have a lovely time at this morning’s event!
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This dredge is still hard at work. I love the reflection in this photo from Paul Horovitz as well as the striking blue of the water and sky…lined with mooring balls waiting anxiously for summer.
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This dredge is still hard at work. I love the reflection in this photo from Paul Horovitz as well as the striking blue of the water and sky…lined with mooring balls waiting anxiously for summer.
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Yesterday afternoon several of us made our way to Boston for lunch in Faneuil Hall and then over to the TD Bank Garden for the Beanpot. Two games back-to-back on a Monday night with 30 kids is kind of a lot, but we hung in until mid second period of the second game. With a double overtime win in the BU vs BC game, I am sad that we didn’t stay until the bitter end, but it was a fantastic evening for us all nonetheless. And, may I add, watching the college and alumni fans from Harvard, Northeaster, BU, and BC was almost as entertaining as the on ice action.
The semifinal round of the 2020 Beanpot, which includes Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern — the reigning back-to-back champions — concluded with No. 12 Northeastern (15-7-2) and Boston University (10-8-7) earning both spots in the championship game. No. 17 Harvard (10-7-4) and No. 4 Boston College (10-7-1), the losers of the two semifinal games, respectively, will play each other in the consolation game prior to the championship game on Monday, Feb. 10 at TD Garden in Boston.
Northeastern opened the semifinal round with a 3-1 win over Harvard, 40 years to the day after securing the program’s first Beanpot title in 1980. In order for the Huskies to win their third-straight Beanpot title and seventh overall, they will have to outperform Boston University, which rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat Boston College 5-4 in double overtime.
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My older son was at MIT yesterday building sea perch aqua robots with the Gloucester Division of the US Navy Sea Cadets (a program I wholeheartedly recommend). With a found five hours, I drove to Harvard Square, enjoyed some coffee and quiche, and took my own little walking tour of the city. I stumbled upon this Plaza Winter Fest and couldn’t help but think how much fun it would be to have one in our neck of the woods. With fire pits, smores supplies for purchase, food trucks, bowling, curling, shuffleboard, chess, fuse ball, ping pong, corn hole, and a little free library for reading, there were several families out enjoying a crisp Sunday morning together. What a great way to encourage outdoor time and community building!
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The annual Progressive New England Boat Show is coming up NEXT weekend. The show runs from February 8th-16th at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
There is a discounted rate for tickets purchased on line in advance, however, so plan ahead now and save yourself a little bit of money. Children 12 and under are still free of charge with the purchase of adult tickets. Adult tickets are currently $14 and will be $16 at the door. Also poke around for a Groupon. This link is not active yet, but may be soon. https://www.groupon.com/deals/national-marine-manufacturers-association
Did you know that in addition to seeing all of the pretty sweet boats and water craft, the boat show has a pretty thorough schedule of seminars to attend and activities to participate in?
Navigate your way around the website above to see some of what is offered!
newenglandboatshow.com
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While we’ve never been able to make this event, I know some families who look forward to this day every single year. Ice cream for breakfast…and always for a great cause!
Welcome to Griffin’s Gift! We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization based out of Danvers MA, helping build families through the gift of adoption. Griffin’s Gift was created in loving memory of Griffin Lamar.
Pick #2: Lunar New Year at the Museum of Fine Arts
Free admission for all! Thank you to the Museum of Fine Arts! How great is that!
Saturday, February 1, 2020
10:00 am–5:00 pm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Free admission. All events are free
Ring in the Year of the Rat with free admission to celebrate Lunar New Year! Explore Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese traditions while enjoying a variety of activities, demonstrations, and performances throughout the day.
There is a very robust day of amazing activities planned throughout the day. Do yourself a favor and click on the link above to see a detailed list of events to best plan your visit.
MFA.org
Pick #3: Dads and Donuts at Sawyer Free Library
Saturday, February 1st from 10:00-11:00. What’s better than stories, songs, quality time with a care giver AND donuts? All are welcome. Learn more at the Sawyer Free Library’s really great new website HERE https://sawyerfreelibrary.org/events/programs/
A fun morning of play time, stories, songs, rhymes, and other activities. Donuts and fruit will be served. Dads, moms, grandparents and all caregivers welcome!
CONTACT: Kristen Lauderdale 978-325-5505 klauderdale@sawyerfreelibrary.org
LOCATION: Friend Room
As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid
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A beautiful shot of dawn rising over Mill Pond in Gloucester from Paul Horovitz. I love what the light does behind the upper branches of the winter trees.
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Hockey for my boys, may indeed gonowhere…but, it has already gone everywhere. Everywhere important that is.
This season alone, with two full months of hockey left to be played, between my two boys (who, mind you, are only 12 and 10) we already have 92 games in the books. We have spent 14 nights in hotel rooms…in six different states. When I got an oil change on November 7th the new sticker on my windshield told me that I should be due for the next one on April 7th. My hockey mobile made it, instead, to the end of December. If that doesn’t sum up how my weekends roll, I don’t know what does.
Lots of miles, lots of practices, lots of games, lots of scheduling, lots of dividing and conquering, lots of travel, lots of eating in the car, lots of gear, lots of money….did I mention lots of money…but, more importantly, lots of smiles, lots of lessons, growth, memories, laughs, and friendships.
I was asked the other day if I wished that my boys had never caught “the hockey bug.” I’d be lying if I tried to convince you that I’ve never complained. I have complained. Lots. The rinks are cold, the gear isn’t always as fragrant as I might like, the gas tank is always empty, sleep is often scarce…and, regrettably, I have to say “no” to a lot of life that unfolds outside of all things hockey. But, no, I don’t wish to change or cure any of it. And, dare I say, I have the bug too.
We do all of this because, obviously, we expect our boys to play at some super high level of hockey…if not the pros, right? (Insert eye roll) Ummm…no. No we don’t. That is not at all why we do this. In fact, I’m already feeling the sense of loss that will undoubtedly come crashing down when high school ends and there’s no longer a hockey schedule to adhere to or cold bleachers to sit on….because, I very much expect that there won’t be.
So, why spend this much money and such a significant part of the boys’ childhoods for something that we suspect will simply end one day? And end with very little fanfare at that. Something that may, indeed, go nowhere? Well, because, it has already gone, truly, everywhere.
Sure, my boys have a pretty impressive little collection of medals, and trophies, and awards, and titles, and championships. They also have plenty of losses and stretches when it felt like they might seriously never win again. But, you know what else they have? They have confidence, resilience, courage, strength, grit, compassion, independence, determination, drive, commitment….and much thicker skin than they would have without hockey. And then….then….there are the memories. The laughs. The stories. The good times. The silly one-liners that no one else in the world understands because they weren’t there. The friends.
There are lessons to be learned each and every time my boys take the ice….and something to hold on to from each and every game. The lessons often have to do with sportsmanship and fair play….the old “there’s no “I” in team”, “you need to work just as hard at being a good teammate as being a good player” etc. Sometimes what they learn, however, has absolutely nothing to do with hockey. Sometimes it has to do with being a friend…being strong…being forgiving…being imperfect. Sometimes it is as simple as remembering to hug their grandparents and thank them for coming to watch them skate…no matter what the scoreboard says or how drained they feel. Sometimes the lessons are out of the rink as well. The dance of packing, unpacking, navigating hotel check-ins, tipping, and traveling as a team. Lessons in respect to hotel and restaurant staff…lessons in communicating with teammates’ families who come to cheer, and support, and be an important part of the bigger picture. Sometimes they fail at all of it, but…then, they learn.
Sometimes my boys play with the confidence of knowing that they’re good… knowing that they contribute each and every shift…knowing that their team is better for having them on it. Sometimes my boys play and feel defeated….even after a big win. Sometimes they leave the rink and just can’t wait to get in the car because they feel like they didn’t play well….or, maybe, they were told they could have played better. Fair enough. Sometimes they score, they give assists, they feel on top of the world. Sometimes, during a power play, they’re the ones to get called off….and sometimes, at the end of a close game, they’re the ones to sit out a shift. Sometimes they feel appreciated…sometimes they feel, well, not. Sometimes their feelings are validated, sometimes…well, they’re not. It is by no means always happy….it’s hard, and it’s awesome, and it’s painful, and it’s amazing. It builds them up ….and it knocks them down just as quickly. But, they love it…and they know it comes with both highs and lows…and they never, ever want to quit.
They have, indeed, made friends…and, do you know what? So have I. They have learned to trust, to cheer, to support, and to truly love their teammates. And, do you what? So have I.
If you’re lucky enough to land on teams such as those that we have, you soon have a community unlike any other. It may start with casual conversation at the rink, slowly getting to know each other, soon…maybe “friending” each other on social media. Much like being a new student at a new school…or a new employee at a new job…you start to meet others. You start to ebb and flow in a more consistent rhythm….coming together soon in a circle that gets closer….and tighter. Soon you start recognizing siblings, and grandparents, and aunts + uncles. Soon, most likely, you learn what people do for work, how they take their coffee, and what they drink on a Saturday night. When the blanket is left on the bleachers….you find that you know who it belongs to and maybe even how long they’ve had it. Soon you’re not just getting to know the other families…you actually know the other families…and, honestly, it feels like you’ve known them forever.
The kids become closer…they start seeing each other outside of the rink….and so, happily, do the grown-ups. If you’re lucky enough to land on teams such as those that we have, you’re in for quite a ride. Tournament weekends feel like college all over again and you laugh so much that you cry. You might soon discover that you drink things you never thought you’d drink, you stay up later than you have in years, and each and every game your kids play feels like the Stanley Cup. Hysterical group texts are often the closest thing to a book you’ve read all season and inside jokes make you spontaneously laugh mid-week…at the most inconvenient times.
You complain about the traveling and the hotel bills, but you feel a sense of loss when the foreseen schedule doesn’t involve nights away. You’re a hockey parent. The kids love each other…but, they sometimes get on each other’s nerves. You love the coaches, but sometimes you feel like things aren’t fair. The coaches love coaching….but sometimes they’re frustrated and expect more. You’re a hockey team.
Hockey, for my boys, has already gone, truly, everywhere. Yes, sure, geographically, we have gone lots of places… but, that’s not what I mean. More importantly, it has seeped into their little beings and has been the backbone for who they have become…and are certainly still becoming. It has, without a doubt, shaped them and defined their childhoods and our family dynamic. It has built family bonds and routine and, of course, memories. It has filled the basement with equipment, baskets with precious team shirts, bookshelves with souvenirs, albums with photos, and our lives with something we all love. Hockey, years from now, will be something that my boys hopefully play in an over-thirty league with some good buddies late on Sunday nights. It may indeed go nowhere other than that but, I assure you, it has already given everything and gone everywhere…everywhere important that is.
Thank you to all who have brought this joy, this camaraderie, this craziness, and this sport into our lives. Thank you to the coaches, volunteers, teammates, friends, and families. Thank you to Cape Ann Youth Hockey and the North Shore Coyotes Hockey Club! We’re so thankful for you all.
Enter a captionNorth Shore Coyotes Hockey Club: U14 Bantams
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This precious little book caught my eye while scrolling through something the other day. Illustrated by Henry Cole and written with the lyrics from John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s song, “With a Little Help from My Friends” this book is sure to depict some friendships that we are all thankful to have.
Celebrate friendship with this lyrical picture book that beautifully illustrates John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s world-renowned words from “With a Little Help from My Friends.”
I get by with a little help from my friends…
In this gorgeously illustrated picture book, the universally loved words to “With a Little Help from My Friends” come vividly to life, showing that sometimes, all you need is a little help from your friends!
My mom, my boys, and I flew out to Los Angeles for a long weekend to visit my brother who lives in Santa Monica. I’ve been to San Diego and much further north on the Pacific Coast, but never to the LA area. We stayed at a hotel directly across from the Santa Monica Pier, took an “extreme whale watch,” toured celebrity homes, Beverly Hills, Hollywood landmarks, Rodeo Drive, spent time riding the rides on the pier, saw Jay Leno at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, and hung out on the Venice Beach boardwalk. These photos are from our trip to Venice Beach. The boys wanted to buy new skateboards with some of the spending money they saved and I was happy to walk in the sand and people watch for a bit.
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Good Morning Gloucester 