July 4 plans

So, what are you all doing for July 4?

In our family, we have ALWAYS gone to the Needham fireworks on July 3, and then the Newton fireworks on July 4. Every year I say we're not going to do both of them, but we do. We are evidentally creatures of habit. Or idiots. Whatever. The kids like to do both because they are so markedly different. Needham is white suburbia, where parents bring whole families and everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is white white white. There are a lot of dogs, too.

Newton, OTOH, brings a lot of people who don't live in Newton, or who don't want to deal with the Esplanade. There are the Boston Ballet School summer students in droves, they have kiddy rides so there are a ton of young families and adorable babies, and a GREAT band called the Zaichick Brothers, who can play ANYTHING, and do. Lots of people of color, lots of elderly, infirm, and everything else. It's a wonderful mix of people. And they have real bathrooms at the poolhouse, which is important to a port-a-potty hater like me.

But..... this year my kids want to go to the Esplanade. Oh my God, no. But they do. They are dying to go. Craig Fergeson, who is a family favorite, is going to be there, so my son is way psyched. The music is very good, they want to see the cannons, and they just think it's going to be excellent entertainment. I've tried to explain the hassle of it. Taking the T. Dealing with the traffic. The port-a-pottys. The crowds. The waiting. But they are adament. I do not want to go. I don't like crowds.

We'll see. Newton is so easy to deal with. Not too crowded. Great food trucks. Decent bathrooms. Sigh.

So, what are your plans?

Introduction and Davis Farmland

I'm a newbie to this blog as well. Thank you also to Mrs. Chicky for letting me join! I grew up right outside Chicago and came to MA when I went to college at Wellesley. After college I lived in Hoboken, NJ for a couple years while working in NYC. My husband and I currently live in central MA. We have two little boys who are 3.5 and 1.

I must confess when I first heard about Davis Farmland, I thought that I was hearing things wrong. A splash pad (at the time my friends referred to it as a zero depth pool which didn't help either) combined with a petting farm? What a bizarre combo! I had a hard time visualizing it. Then I typed the name in wrong and brought up a porn site. Anyhow, Davis Farmland is very popular in the moms group I'm in as well as in my playgroup. My curiosity was piqued and so the next time my playgroup went, I joined in even though my son was only 10 months old at the time.

Our family loves it. I'm a huge animal lover and the recent playgroup photos of the kids interacting with the animals, feature me standing in the middle of the goat pen with all the kids. Basically the animals are all in smaller pens and a larger pen surrounds them so that if the animals get out, it's now big deal. The pens are colored coded for safety and the kids can walk right into many of the pens and brush the cows, feed the animals etc. The splash pad is also a lot of fun. There's also a playground, go carts, scooters, a whole Imaginarium section, not to mention great tasting ice cream. The best part in my opinion is that they have a bunch of shaded tables by the splash pad and the playground so my friends and I can actually have a conversation while the kids are off playing. Each party gets a paper bracelet with a matching number and number of people in the party which they check before you leave.

My one tip is to get there when it opens, see some animals and then hit the splash pad around 10 before it gets really crowded. That way you also will have a nice table for lunch and you can see the animals after (a lot of people do it the other way) or go around 3:30 because the park empties out and you will pretty much have it to yourself.

Meet-up

I was thinking of going to Davis Farm in the next few weeks. Is anyone interested in doing a meet-up there? They have the farm area and splash park. The girls always have alot of fun!

Hello There!

I'm MamaLee from Fullplate, and I am a newbie to this website. Thanks to Mrs. Chicky for graciously letting me join this group!

I grew up in Northeast Connecticut - I spent 34 years over there - and when I got married 7 years ago, I moved west to Litchfield County. Here we live in a 4-bedroom colonial, right next to slobs-for-neighbors and ticks in the woods in the backyard. Typically New England (well the ticks anyway)!

I have 3 wonderful, busy cherubs, ages 5, 4 and 2, and they, along with our 2 springers and my busy hubby, keep me on my toes. Especially Princess (the 4yr old) - she is SOOO lucky she is cute!) I used to be a music teacher and theatre guru before I got married and moved away, and now the mama-thing keeps my attention and my heart.

I look forward to posting about my life here in Connecticut and reading about your lives as well.

Again, thanks for having me!

FREE movies

Regal theatres are showing free family movies. In MA, this is the schedule. There are quite a few theatres in MA, so check and see if you live near one. In Boston, it's the Fenway 13. There are some pretty good movies for you guys with younger kids.

Have fun!