1. The Akillian Gallery at Massasoit Community College in Canton is having an opening show of art work by the students from the Mass Hospital School. The show will run through November. Opening Reception is from 1:30-3:30 p.m. today. 2. The Canton Art Association has a still life painting class from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. 3. Stop by the Blue Hills Brewery today between 5 and 8 p.m. and taste some of the new winter flavors.  4. From 7-8 p.m., Stan Ezekiel of The College Planning Group, Inc. will be hosting a College Planning Seminar at the Canton Public Library …

When my daughter woke up Sunday morning, the first words out of her mouth were, “I get to wear my Patriots dress today, right?!!” If this wasn’t enough proof that my three-year old is showing signs of becoming a prodigy in the sports fan department, then you must also know that she came home with some art from school earlier in the week which depicted a smiling face (hers, of course,) lots of scribbles (no idea,) and a very good rendition of a football which was impressively drawn quite proportional to the size of her head. Under this masterpiece were the words, “I had a dream…about football…

Meet Vinny the elf. He’s from the North End of the North Pole and has been visiting us since Thanksgiving. This is his first year staying with us and I must say, he has not been as popular as I had imagined. You see, Vinny can be a bit of a snitch tattling to Santa each night when the children have been naughty. He also reports to Santa on good behavior, but it seems the magic of the holiday season has been bringing out more “naughty” than “nice” behavior in my kids. I’m assuming most parents with younger children are familiar with The Elf on the Shelf concept. But if you are not, then know …

For some time I had been hearing friends talk about these great classes at the gym called Zumba. Apparently, they offered great Latin and international music along with dance steps for a workout that feels like a party atmosphere. When one friend mentioned how fun it was and that she also wanted to die after her first class, I was intrigued. How could something be described as “really fun” and also inspire death? Curious, I wanted to try out a Zumba class, but I was scared. Not being the most athletic person, I feared I’d be keeling over in class and have to be escorted out half conscious. Or…

Those couple times a year when we change the clocks to save ourselves a little more daylight usually sneaks up on me. This year, it fell at a particularly hectic time in our lives. In the past week alone we have had more going on than we usually do in an entire month. We moved into a new home which is a huge adjustment for anyone, but especially for two kids under the age of four. Throw in a freak snowstorm, power outages, a birthday, sugar-induced highs from Halloween and then mess with the inner workings of a toddler’s time clock–and you have the makings of a very chaotic household. In all …

Fall and apple picking just seem to go hand-in-hand for families in New England. Now, if the weather would just stop being so humid, we could get on with our cool, crisp autumn days and bring on the good stuff like apple crisp, cider, donuts and leaf peeping. We try to go apple picking at least once a year with the kids. It’s still a novelty for them at this point – the hay rides, visiting the farm animals, getting a boost to pick just the right apple. I’m sure when they are teenagers they will want no part of the whole family apple picking excursion, so we’ll just keep going until they …

Before I had children, grocery shopping was not something to which I gave much thought. It was simple – I needed food, so I would go out and get it. The day of the week and time of day was pretty trivial.  But now, attempting a weekly shopping trip for groceries with my two little ones in tow has the ability to make me break out into a cold sweat. It usually goes a little something like this: While making my shopping list at home, I pretend I am really organized. I start with my pad I keep on the fridge meant to be marked whenever a necessity runs out. Typically the list is blank because no …

The day has finally come. I have to let my baby go, just a tiny bit, as she embarks on the beginning of her academic career. I say “academic career” lightly because she is heading off to preschool where I know her days will be filled with playtime, songs, music and fun.   But it is the beginning of something new for her, a small chapter in the story of her childhood. In the days leading up to her first day of school I kept thinking how I will never again be the only one who spends every waking hour with her. Never again will we have our regular lazy mornings playing in our pajamas and having …

Last week, we cut our vacation in Cape Cod short in order to get home and prepare for Hurricane Irene. The hype about the storm had us fearing the worst so we figured it best to get on the road, get some groceries and batten down the hatches, so to speak. As is her nature, Lily asked about a million questions. “What’s a hurricane? Why does it make bad weather? Why do we have to buy more batteries…why, why why?” Even Jack seemed to pick up on the hustle and bustle and listened intently as his big sister, ever the know-it-all, explained everything I had told her moments before about hurricanes…

It seems every child has that one special thing to which he or she becomes most attached. Be it a blanket or a stuffed friend, your child depends upon it fiercely. They need it to sleep at night. They want to hold it in their lap on long car trips. They never want it out of their sight.  In our house, his name is Pookie and he was once a tan-colored bear attached to a small blanket. I purchased him on a whim one day strolling the aisles of Babies R Us in a sleepless haze when Lily was about two-months-old. Now, he is dingy, gray in color, well-loved and snuggled. His head has fallen off at …

I had been putting it off for a while, but finally decided last week it was time for Jack to have his first haircut. It was not a decision I took lightly because a part of me does want to hold on to his babyhood as long as possible, which includes keeping those sweet curled golden locks on his sweet baby head. But, he was starting to rock a Bieber ‘do and that, I just couldn’t handle. In an attempt to make this milestone as easy as possible, I wanted to take him to one of those fun places where they specialize in cuts for kids. On my way to the Snip-Its in the Village Shoppes, I made the …

In general, I try not to compare my kids to one another, but it appears my eldest has made a name for herself as being “the picky one.”  At mealtime, she sits disdainfully, regarding her food and pushing it away as her younger brother shovels it in. Lily whines, “I don’t want this, Mommy,” while Jack says, “More! More!” with his mouth full. Maybe it’s the age (she’s three,) but I have a strong feeling that we are in for it with her. It’s not just the fact that she is and has always been a picky eater, it now seems she is quite particular about pretty much everything under the sun. She starts …

It all started when my firstborn came home from the hospital. Like most new parents, I was fascinated by my daughter and the love I felt for her. That part came easily.  However, I learned pretty quickly that my thoughts would start to be pulled in many different directions at once. Instead of just going through the daily motions of life for myself, I now had to think of anything and everything that my baby might need. Gone were the days of coming home from work at 6:00 pm and browsing through the fridge to figure out what I could make for dinner. And gone were the mornings of being able to …

When my husband first told me he wanted to go camping with our kids, who are currently 20 months and three-years-old, I was a little afraid.  All right, I was A LOT afraid. Right now, the children require a lot of assistance doing everything from the moment they wake up to the moment they close their eyes – eating, dressing, having diapers changed, using the potty, not to mention the need for non-stop entertainment all day. Mix in a few mood swings, sibling scuffles and temper tantrums and even a day in paradise could turn sour. So, the mere thought of the chaos that might ensue in the middle…

Like most families, we spent the Fourth of July holiday at a cookout, letting the kids run amok outside, and capping off the evening with the fireworks celebration. I have always been fond of this holiday because it showcases everything that means summertime to me. Between spending a relaxing day with family and friends, grilling hamburgers and hotdogs, watching kids play in the pool, and waving red, white and blue flags, it pretty much sums up my vision of summer. So it is somewhat surprising that given my affinity for this holiday, this is the first year we have done the whole fireworks …

The last day of school is always bittersweet. For parents, it is yet another reminder of how much your child has grown, while for kids, it is the beginning of the best time of their young life – summer vacation! I’ve always loved summer above all other seasons and I think the reason for that was because summer as a kid meant two full months of carefree days playing with friends, swimming in pools and hitting the beach. If I only I had realized how numbered and short-lived those carefree days had been when I was in the midst of them. Adulthood kicks in and before you know it, you realize you …

As I ponder what topic to write about this week, I am preoccupied with the fact that my son, Jack, is having surgery tomorrow. By the time this column is published, it will be over and he will be well on his way to recovery, hopefully, with corrected vision that does not cause him to tilt his head to see properly. So while it is hard for me to think about much else right now, it is also comforting knowing what we are facing and what to expect, as this is not his first eye surgery. Because he is older this time, I was wondering if there is anything I could do to prepare him beyond the scope of…

Sometimes I wonder how we all survived before the Internet.  It is pretty wild to think of all the advances in technology that have taken place since my youth. Boy, have we come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. I can remember the days when having to write a paper for school meant it needed to be typed on a typewriter or when an assignment required going to the library and looking into a set of encyclopedias. Life is so different now. We have Wikipedia and search engines galore that will spit back thousands of answers to your questions in less than a second. We are spoiled in …

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who is expecting her first baby in a few weeks and it got me thinking back to the days when I was in her shoes. It was such an exciting time – confusing, nerve-wracking, and overwhelming. Mostly, I was filled with anticipation for what was to come. As much as people would tell me what to expect with a newborn, there is only so much you can really understand until you’ve lived it yourself. So while I have PLENTY more to learn from my kids and other parents, I thought I would share some of the little things I wish I had understood more fully when I was…

When Oprah announced last year that she was saying goodbye to her talk show, I remember feeling a bit stunned at the news wondering how she could leave at the top of her game. But with one more full season ahead for her show, the news was a bit easier to swallow knowing there was still more to come. Now that her show has finally come to a close last week, I feel a bit as though there is an empty spot in my day, maybe even my life. You see, like so many women of my generation, I grew up watching Oprah. I can remember watching the show often with my mother as a kid. And as I got older, it …