Author: Nichole S.

Get your St. Patrick’s Day on early!  Just make sure you have a responsible driver.  Head to Boston for this super fun event.

March 6th + 7th, 2020

Join us for a weekend of friendly banter, live music, flowing taps, and thousands of other beer loving folks loving the heck out of life under heated tents at our Boston brewery!

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Friday March 6th Early Access + 1 Beer Ticket: $30 

Friday March 6th Early Access + 3 Beer Tickets: $42

Come the day of, simply pay $25 at the door on Friday and $30 on Saturday to join the fun! When you pay at the door, your admission includes your first beer and a souvenir cup.

Friday March 6th Pay at the Door: $25

6:00pm – 11:00pm (Doors close at 9:30pm)

Saturday March 7th Pay at the Door: $30

1:00pm – 7:00pm (Doors close at 5:30pm)

Door Hours: 5:30pm – 6:00pm

Live bands all weekend (line up listed in link above) and lots flowing on tap.

Another breathtaking photo from Paul Horovitz as the day begins on the Annisquam.  Won’t be long now until the river begins welcoming early season boaters.

Does anyone know what is moving into this location?  It used to be a little gas station right before the East Gloucester Shaws on Eastern Ave.  They have been working hard for the last few months.

I love how the light accentuates that corner of the Annisquam as it ends the day. Thanks to Paul Horovitz for the wonderful photo.

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!

http://www.engageyourworld.org/harborlights-4th-annual-cultural-festival/

Harborlight Montessori

243 Essex Street, Beverly, Ma

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

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.

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.

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.

Pick #1: New England Boat Show

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.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE:  THE NEW ENGLAND BOAT SHOW

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!

READ ALL ABOUT THE BOAT SHOW HERE

READ DONNA’S RECENT POST ABOUT VISITING THE BOAT SHOW HERE

Pick #2: Merrimack Eagle Festival 

February 15, 2020

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

Pick #3: “Zombies 2” at the North Shore Mall

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!

From Boston Central

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. 

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.

Check them out HERE:  https://www.theblackbearbarbershop.com/

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!

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.

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.

From https://www.ncaa.com/news/icehockey-men/article/2020-02-03/2020-beanpot-scores-schedule-and-preview-college-hockey

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.

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.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE:  THE NEW ENGLAND BOAT SHOW

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!

February!

Pick #1: Ice Cream for Breakfast at Cherry Hill

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!

This year’s charity is Griffin’s Gift

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.

READ MORE ABOUT CHERRY HILL HERE

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!

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.

READ MORE HERE

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.

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/

Discover the past, create future!

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

As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid