Pick Parlee Farms

It's time for pick-your-own season.  The season that starts with robust, red strawberries that smell of the sun and end with pumpkins waiting patiently for a face.  This is an unabashed promotion of my favorite place, which I'm almost loathe to tell you about, as I don't want to spoil the uncrowded, not-in-Boston-anymore feel.

Bypass the farms close to the city and those that (gasp) make you pay to enter.  Go straight up to Parlee Farms in Tyngsborough.  It may take you a while, but it's well worth it.  Everything I pick there tastes better, not just better than the grocery, but better than every other pick-your-own place.  On Friday, my kids and I sat amongst the long-rows of knee-high plants and had a hard time choosing which berries we would pick.  Every one was a perfect, magazine-style berry, there are not enough metaphors to describe this fruit.  Evenly red, perfectly shaped, lovely green top.  But they tasted every better - warm and luscious.  My kids had berry-stained fingers and chins all day. 

In a few weeks, the blueberries will be ready.  The last time I went, people left the fields with buckets full of the nickel-sized fruit.  So juicy and sweet and so easy for little hands to pick.  Apple season is as picture-book as you can imagine with hay rides and hay mazes and long lines of pumpkins. 

There is also a small animal petting area to keep your kids busy - baby goats, bunnies, and chickens.  Bring some change for the feeding machines. 

In addition to the fruit, I'd drive all the way up Route 3 for the donuts.  Depending on what they're picking, the donut changes.  So right now, it's strawberry donuts.  Little golf-ball sized bites of melt-in-your mouth pleasure.  The batter is mixed with pureed strawberries and then the cooked nuggets are rolled in sugar.  Hot off the old-style, automated cooker (fun for kids to watch), these are probably one of the five best things I've ever tasted...and I eat a lot!  Although the strawberry shortcake from the farmstand is also a can't miss.  They use their own strawberries, a good biscuit, and top it with ice cream and whipped cream.  It's like everything you'd expect from a fresh, farm dessert.

Before you head to the farm, and you really must, check the site or their Facebook page for a status of the picking conditions.  They're good about preventing over-picking, which means sometimes the farm closes early.  It's best to go early in the morning when the fruit is still plentiful and before it gets too hot.  Strawberry season is winding down, so if you miss it, put blueberry season on your calendar.  I hope it becomes "the" place to pick for your family.

A Morning at the Capron Park Zoo

Lil' C at the Capron Park Zoo last summer, pre-walking.

Last week, I took C to the Capron Park Zoo. The Zoo is located in Attleboro, minutes from the highway. The Capron Park Zoo provides toddlers, preschoolers, and their families an educational, fun, and affordable outing. First, the zoo is small, which meant C could walk through the entire zoo without tiring and whining, "Up, up." If you arrive close to opening, the zoo is not crowded. This afforded C a prime view of the African lions, snow leopard, and red kangaroos on display. While many animals were napping in the sun or hiding, we were able to witness red kangaroos hopping alongside their mamas, sloth bears wrestling, and a Visayan warty pig playing with a basketball.

There are two different feeding areas at Capron Park. In one area, children are able to feed goats and llamas. Walk across the bridge over the pond and there is another spot where children can feed ducks. Animal food costs a quarter, so if you visit the Capron Park Zoo bring change or ask for change in the visitor center.

After children see the animals, they can play on the splash pad located right near the zoo entry. Outside of the zoo there is a large playground with distinct areas for older children and toddlers. The Capron Park Zoo is located within a large park, so there are plenty of tables and grassy spots for a picnic.

Admission prices are highly affordable. Children under three are free. Admission for children ages three to twelve costs $5.50. Adults pay only $7.00. If you happen to be an Attleboro resident, admission costs even less. There is a concession stand and eating area inside of the zoo, in addition to the picnic areas outside the zoo gates. Wagons are available for rent, which gives tired tykes a chance to rest and watch the animals.

The Capron Park Zoo gets high praise from this mama. If you are looking for something fun and affordable to do this summer, definitely pay them a visit!

http://www.capronparkzoo.com/

I heart the Boston Children's Museum

My first experience at the Children's Museum was when Marlo was 2 months old, and she spent the entire time I was there (with friends who had 1 year olds and could enjoy it) snug as a bug in the Moby. It was a Saturday, it was chaos, and I wanted out ASAP. We tried again (with the same group of friends) in December, once she had turned 1, and was able to walk around with me holding her hands. And it was love at first sight.

E & M enjoying the train table

Last week we bought a family membership and we have been 3 times since! For just $125 you and three other people can go to the museum for free. Normally it costs anyone 1 year old and above (which I think is pretty crappy you have to pay for kids that young, but I digress) $12. I figured since we would be going practically every week, the membership would have paid for itself in just 5 visits.

Now, we aren't at the age where we can fully appreciate all the Museum has to offer, but we definitely get our monies worth. Marlo lights up and giggles with excitement as soon as we enter the toddler play area on the second floor. They have a giant train table that is the perfect height for her to sidle up to and ramps and stairs to go up and down. In the back corner they have a craft/project area where there is always something set up for the kids to explore - like sand boxes or water play. I think she just loves the fact that everything is her height!

On the Green Screen in Arthur's World

Peep's World is a place for kids (a little older and taller than Marlo, but we still go in and watch) to play in a flowing water trough, and experiment with shadows and light. They have a whole area dedicated to Arthur & Friends, which she is just starting to recognize from television. There is a "Construction Zone" where you can play with trucks on ramps, and the older kids can climb all sorts of things. In the Explorer's Zone you can play with bubbles, make golf balls go over big ramps and all sorts of other fun things.

J, M & E "driving" a car in
the toddler area

When it is meal time, there is a Lunch Room with large tables, and plenty of high chairs available, and it is attached to an Au Bon Pain that has an extensive children's menu.

And with the Membership you have access to the Museum during exclusive Member's Only hours which are 9-10 AM on Saturday and Sunday. This past weekend we went at 9:15 AM on Sunday and it was pretty empty, but as we were leaving at 10 AM (it was just the two of us and she was ready for a nap) there was a line out the door to get in! If you can avoid going during the weekends, I would, as it gets pretty chaotic pretty quickly.

As far as parking goes, it can be a little tricky. If you go early on the weekends, it is easy to find free street parking (especially on Sunday when you don't have to pay for meters). There are lots of metered spots on Seaport Blvd by the Federal Court House or on Congress St. During the week, and during peak weekend hours, it is a little harder, and much more expensive. If you are lucky enough to find street parking at a meter, remember they just upped the cost to $.25 per 12 minutes, so bring a stack of quarters with you! There are two lots near the museum that charge something like $6 per half hour, and are very tightly packed in. There is a small garage across from Flour (a cafe I highly recommend) that costs $12 for approximately 2 hours. If you can't find anything right near the Museum then there is a lot about 3 blocks away (on the corner of Congress & Boston Warf Rd.) that costs around $11 for 2 hours.

Other things you might want to know...there is a Bank of America ATM right down the street on Congress St., as well as a Dunkin Donuts right nextdoor.

So to sum up, the Children's Museum is a great place to go with your kids, and if you are going more than a couple times a year, a membership is definitely worth it. What you should do (like I did) is have another friend buy a membership to the Aquarium, and another to the Science Museum, and then bring each other to museums!

The "Enchanted" Village at Jordan's Furniture

If you live in the northeast, you know it is much harder to find things to do with your kids in the winter than in the summer. Going outside requires many layers, many winter accessories, and just general discomfort on most days. Gone are the days when you can spend the afternoon at the park, or take a long walk, or play in the grass, and here are the days of sweating your balls off whenever you are inside (because the heat is always jacked up way too high in public areas), losing feeling in your fingers and toes, and that terrible feeling when you are so cold your teeth hurt.

During this time of year (which in Boston lasts about 6-7 months) you need to get a little more adventurous as you can only walk around the Natick Mall so many times - which leads to evil looks from your husband at yet another shopping bag outside of your daughter's room.

So last week I ventured to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture in Avon. I had no idea what to expect as I had never been there before - who would go there if they didn't have kids? I met 3 mom friends and together we had 7 kids between us (3 babies, Marlo at 12 months, and 3 two year old boys). After taking a few minutes to peel off the layers and get everyone comfortable, we headed into the Village.

Now I must preface this review with this: I am a Disney lover. I have been to Disney World probably 100 times in my life...I lived in Florida while going to high school...and I worked at Disney doing the College Program in the Fall/Winter of 1998. What I am saying is I have high standards and I am a snob when it comes to animatronics....but I digress.

When you approach the entrance to the Village, you are asked to stand in front of this green screen to take a photo, and are then told that you can pick up your photo at the end of the tour. Now, they don't tell you that you have to pay for it, so I thought it was free. I should also mention that there is no entrance fee for this experience...which should have told me right there the photo wouldn't be free!

Kids giving each other haircuts???

So you enter into this very dark room, with very loud Christmas music playing. Surrounding you is the Village, which consists of various old-timey store fronts (barbershop, post office, general store, etc.). And populating the Village are very creepy moving figures, which to this day I am not sure if they were children, or very small adults, as they seem to have taken over the Village. They were all moving in very short, choppy movements - some of them even seemed possessed. It was quite a site. Thankfully we didn't have a line to deal with...and it was over with in five minutes.

Creepy little caroler

Some of our crew were very scared by the darkness and the loudness of the experience - and I am not talking about the babies, but the 2 year old boys. One even ended up with a winter hat over his face to hide from the creepiness that surrounded him. Marlo was non-plus about the whole thing, and occasionally did her signature move and pointed and said "whoa." She does this when we walk up and down the grocery store aisles, and when she is laying in her crib, so I wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

I should also mention that about every couple minutes or so the lights go on and they blow fake snow out of the corner of the room. You would think this would be a big hit, but it seemed to upset some of the kids even more.

So why is it "Enchanted"? Because they are broken down figures come to life? It seemed more like a Children of the Corn scenario where the kids had killed off all the adults and were running amok. And I take issue with the tagline of the whole experience "Your Holiday Memories Await You." Whose holiday memories are like this?? Little people that grew up at the turn of the 20th century? I don't think you had any 120 year old people coming to see this village.

At the exit of the Village they try to corral you into the line to see your photo, but when I asked if you had to pay for it (and it was something like $25 for a 5x7) we just moved on.

I don't think I will be going back to the Village any time soon, but it was overall a successful experience as we got out of the house, we were warm, we were with good friends and we did something different. Again, I should remind you that I am a total snob when it comes to this kind of thing, so you should experience it for yourself and make your own judgement. This is just my personal opinion - and you know I like to share them!

Eat, Pray, Love, Cry, Feed, Poop

Going to movies used to be a weekly past time of mine. Because I worked from home and made my own schedule, I was able to walk into the city and catch a day time screening any day of the week. I didn't care if I was that lonely old lady with the giant box of Hot Tamales and diet Sprite (from CVS of course) in the empty theater at noon on a Tuesday...I love the movies. Like I mentioned in my last post, it is one of the things I miss most about having kids. No longer can I jet out to the movies by myself, and I miss it terribly!

Babies at the Movies

But now I have something to look forward to...

This past Thursday I attended the "Baby Pictures" screening of Eat, Pray, Love at the Legacy Place theater in Dedham. Baby M and I, along with two of my good Mama friends and their tots, sat in a theater amongst (approximately) 100 other moms and babies and took in the mediocre movie (I don't recommend rushing to see it - wait for the Netflix). But at $6 per Mama it was worth every penny. Hell, I would have paid $20 a ticket! But don't tell the theater that.

Stroller Valet

We arrived at 11:30 (30 minutes before the show) and waited amongst the newer moms in the lobby for the theater to open. Our 9 month old babies were seriously the oldest ones by a few months. Most babies were only a few weeks or months old, so we felt like we were the professional Mamas. Since you aren't allowed to bring strollers into the theater (more on that in a sec) we opted to shove our large babies into their infant car seats and sit them next to us. Fabulous idea - and hysterical because we all have the exact same car seat! Other moms had their babies in carriers (Moby's, Ergos and a few Bjorns) while some just opted to carry them in their arms. At a few weeks old that is fine, but sitting through a 2+ hour movie with a 20 pound infant on my lap did not sound like fun.

Once the theater doors open you, those with strollers checked them at the "Stroller Valet" right out side the theater. See the photo for the hilarity that was the stroller valet. When we entered we were politely greeted by the Baby Pictures Hostess who told us about the changing table area, and later went around asking about the dimness of the lights and the volume of the movie. We found our seat and settled in.

Mamas in the aisles with babies

Throughout the droll movie there was a constant din of crying baby, but you seriously learn to tune it out and are not bothered by it in the least. At about half way through I glanced to my left to see a bunch of moms in the aisle swaying back and forth with their babies in their arms and laughed out loud. Never did I think I would see that in a movie theater!

Overall it was a very pleasant experience, and one that I will take advantage of whenever I can. It helped that it was a noon showing, as that is Baby M's nap time and she slept through the entire thing. Actually I kind of wanted to sleep through the entire thing too!

Baby Pictures are held at Showcase cinemas, twice a month, at Noon on Thursdays for $6. For a listing of the upcoming movies, click here. They are also held at the Coolidge Corner Theater on alternate Fridays at 1 pm for $6.75. Click here for more info. 

A Walk in the Park

The beautiful morning light at the Arnold Arboretum

I have just discovered the Arnold Arboretum...and I am in love. How is it that I have lived in Boston for 14 years and just found this place? I have heard about it, but never did I know exactly where or what it was. I actually thought it was some hot and muggy structure that houses plants that you could walk through, but boy was I wrong.

Nestled between Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and Roslindale is this 265-acre arboretum is the oldest of it's kind in the United States and is one of the world's leading centers for the study of plants. To me it is where I get my daily exercise and daily dose of nature.

We have fallen into a routine here at our house. Papa B gets up with baby M at 5:45 every morning and has some quality time (he works long hours so this is a total treat for him) while giving her a bottle and some solid foods. Mama J gets to sleep until 6:30 (who would have thought that was sleeping in) and then I don my finest workout clothes before descending the stairs to my wonderful family. While Papa B gets himself ready for work, I change baby, get the diaper bag ready for the walk - which includes poop bags for the pooch - and then pack up the car with stroller, baby, dog and daddy. We then drop off Papa at the T-station and head over to the Arboretum.

We walk for about an hour to an hour and a half throughout the flora and fauna. It is literally a breath of fresh air. At that time of day (approx. 7:30 AM) the light comes through the trees in these strong dramatic beams that I couldn't help but take a ton of photos of (see photo). There are only a handful of other walkers/runners (many with baby in tow) at that time, and we seem to see the same people so we are already on the "good morning (insert baby or dog comment here)!" stage with many. The pooch gets to sniff a variety of bums, which always makes her happy, and is good and tired once we are through. She even wants to get in the car at the end of the walk, which is incredibly rare to begin with.

If you are in the Boston area, I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to head over to the Arboretum and take a walk throughout the property. There is parking on the street at the Arborway entrance, and a few spaces at some of the side entrances too.

And we even saw some red leaves today! Stay tuned for some fab fall photos!

Babies and Books

While I am home for the summer, I try to bring Baby C to new places and expose her to new experiences as often as I can. Last week Baby C and I discovered Babies and Books story time at the Westwood Public Library. Every Friday, the library holds a story time from 10:30-10:50 for children ages two and under. Story time takes place in a quiet, child-proofed room which is separate from the rest of the children's area. Babies and their caregivers sit on cushy mats, or at least attempt to sit on cushy mats, while the very kind, patient librarian engages the babies with songs, stories, and puppets.

Story time has not changed much since I was a wee one thirty-ish years ago. The librarian began story time with a "Hello Neighbor" song. Then, she showed babies different colors on a snazzy felt board, danced and sang the Hokey Pokey, performed an Oscar-worthy puppet performance of Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and brought down the house with a short picture book geared especially for a very young audience. The babies and toddlers LOVED story time. They were able to dance, sing, wiggle, and wave to other babies. The librarian kept the children entertained and somewhat focused. I was amazed by how well the babies listened and how much they enjoyed story time. At one point, Baby C looked up at me with a huge smile and said something like, "Gaba ma ma goo," which I think translates to, "Mama, thank you so much for bringing me to this totally amazing place! You are the best Mama EVER!" or something like that.

If you are looking for something quick and easy to do with Baby, Babies and Books is a great activity! If you do not live nearby the Westwood Library, check out your public library's web page. Lots of communities offer wonderful activities for little ones at the public library. It's old fashioned, free, and fun. If you do stop by Babies and Books, Baby C and I will save you a seat in the front row.

Baby About Town: Part 1

While you can pretty much bring junior anywhere with you nowadays, there are a few locations/events that cater to the new mom and baby. Here are some of our favorite places to go, where you can feel comfortable, with baby:

• The Movies: Every Friday at 1 PM Coolidge Corner allows mom and baby to view a movie with other moms/babies. Randolph movie theater does this once a month (check their website for time and movie)
• The Boston Aquarium: For a little over $100 you can purchase a family year pass so that you and baby (or even up to 3 guests) can escape the house during the day and walk through the soothing, cool confines of the Aquarium any day of the week
• Isis Maternity: While we have mentioned that you can/should take classes at Isis, it is also a great location if you are shopping in Copley to take a feeding break with baby. They have a great lounge set up in the back of the store specifically for breastfeeding moms
• Baby Loves Disco at Revolution Rock Bar - we don't have any personal experience with this event, but have heard through the grapevine that it is definitely good times
• The Library: check with your local library because most have a kid-friendly story hour & sing-a-long (as opposed to the adults only one- haha)