On Sunday, my wonderful Tante Sue passed after a long struggle with Pick's disease. I remember most about her that she loved to socialize. Pick's stole her speech. It makes me very angry. It doesn't make sense.

I hate you, Pick's.

On Monday, my daughter's buddy Ka'Vyea Tyson-Curry left Children's Mercy Hospital after two months of recovery from multiple gunshot wounds. He's ten. He likes books. He did not deserve any of what he got. It makes me very angry. It doesn't make sense.

But I love you, modern medicine. Thanks for saving Ka'Vyea.

I miss my aunt. I'm glad Ka'Vyea is doing so well.

Life. It's complicated. You just have to hold on. None of it makes sense. Maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point is just to ease each other's pain in any way we can.

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! I'm happy to report that we enjoyed a fun camping adventure with the girls, which I'll be sharing more about soon (particularly since many people have said either, "Really, you took a 3-year-old camping?!" or "I could never do that!"). It was shockingly doable! But before we get there, if you're off and looking for something to do this week, enjoy this roundup via the Weekly Blueprint:

July 1: Test your hockey skills with the Worcester Sharks. (Worcester)

July 2: Free concert - Soul City. (Plymouth)

July 2: Meet an astronaut. (Acton)

July 2 - 3: The Brewster annual oceanside summer arts and crafts festival. (Brewster)

July 2 - 6: Boston Harborfest. (Boston)

July 3: Children’s Discovery Day. (Stockbridge)

July 3 - 4: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. (Boston)

July 4: A fireworks roundup by town. (Multiple locations)

July 4: Bridgewater Arts and Music Festival. (Bridgewater)

July 4: A children’s bike parade. (Needham)

July 4: Learn about Ramadan. (Boston)

July 4: Free admission to Heritage Museum and Garden. (Sandwich)

July 4: Free admission to Edward Gorey House. (Yarmouth Port)

July 4: Free admission to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. (Becket)

July 4: Free admission to Amelia Park Children’s Museum. (Westfield)

July 4: Free admission to Falmouth Museums on the Green. (Falmouth, Woods Hole)

July 4 - 6: Berkshires Arts Festival. (Great Barrington)

Image credit: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

The Oontz Curve lives up to its descriptive full name; it is, in fact, a super portable wireless Bluetooth speaker. I recently bought this gadget and it kind of blows my mind that you can get a Cambridge Soundworks speaker for $29.99. The Oontz has been the perfect solution for enjoying music outdoors, though it would be great for the office too. The speaker connects via Bluetooth, the sound quality is great, and the battery is rechargeable.

Want more Friday Finds? Of course you do! Check out: textured dip bowls, Lands' End Trekkers, Misfit Shine, Smooth Move, Beyond Baby, Bella Sante HydraFacial, chair reupholstery tutorial, Mizuno Wave Prophecy, Jordana lip balm stains, La Fresh eco-wipes, ridiculously awesome pants, parachute cord crafts, Where Is The Cake?, and Travelpro luggage

Image credits: Amazon

Happy Friday everyone, how are you all doing with summer vacation? Yesterday was our first official day off and by about 10am, Laurel clearly was missing her friends already (it was a good thing she happened to have a midday birthday party to attend)! So commences play date scheduling before her camps start... Meanwhile, if you're in town this weekend, here are 16 events, lovingly curated for your consideration. Enjoy!

1. Meet the New England Aquarium without going into the city. (Acton) 

2. Art in the Village. (Barnstable)

3. The Boston Common Frog Pond opens for the season! (Boston)

4. Spice, fun, and food at the Boston JerkFest. (Boston)

5. Family play date at the ICA. (Boston)

6. Get messy for International Mud Day. (Boston)

7. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

8. Dinoland grand opening. (Carver)

9. A grand opening festival. (Easton)

10. Let’s go ponding. (Framingham)

11. Wilson Farm strawberry festival. (Lexington)

12. Rolie Polie Guacamole at the Healthy Families Festival. (Natick)

13. Learn about butterflying in the backyard. (Newburyport)

14. A family fun day. (Somerville)

15. Spread your wings for this faery festival. (Wenham)

16. Family canoeing on the French River. (Worcester)

Image credit: Art in the Village

I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, and Watertown features)! Today's Easton recommendations come from my delightful friend Christina, who writes at The Fairly Odd Mother and Cool Mom Picks. Thanks for sharing these 10 local gems in Easton, Christina! (And if you want to submit a Local Gems feature, see details here!)

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Right next to the busy city of Brockton, Easton is a pretty, historically rich, tree-filled town I've called home for the last 14 years. It's a wonderful spot for kids with lots of safe outdoor spaces in which to roam, great schools, and a not-too-long drive to either Boston, Providence, or Cape Cod. Here are some of my family's favorite spots:

1. The Village Toy Shop. This is my go-to stop for all those birthday gifts my kids need for their friends, and also for awesome holiday shopping too. With free gift wrapping, it's clear how much this store is loved by all the matching gift wrap piled up at any child's birthday party.

2. Hilliards House of Candy. There is no bigger treat than a stop at Hilliards House of Candy, where my kids can scoop out their own assortment of goodies into bags while I check out their delicious boxes of salted caramel chocolates, roasted-on-site nuts, or adorable holiday chocolate lollipops. It's a great spot to stop in summer for a scoop of their own yummy ice cream too.

3. The Children's Museum in Easton. Easton's old historic fire station makes a wonderfully playful spot in which kids can explore, climb, learn, and play. Getting to the top of the old fire pole is a challenge for little arms, and their outdoor play space, The Wild Place, let's kids explore nature and maybe even get a little messy.

4. The Farmer's Daughter. The "it" place for breakfast or lunch on Main Street, The Farmer's Daughter works with local growers to create delicious masterpieces that have people lining up to experience. I like that even their kids' menu takes into account their focus on fresh and local ingredients.

5. Borderland State Park. The former stopping grounds of the rich and famous (notably, the Ames Family who donated much to the town), Borderland is truly a gem for everyone in the state. The park offers great hiking and biking trails, a sprawling disc golf course that is open to everyone, huge lawns for tag, a fun sledding hill, and picnic tables for when it's time to refuel.

6. Natural Resources Trust of Easton. Otherwise known as Sheep Pasture, the NRT exists as an educational center for the town, with chickens, sheep, and other livestock on site for kids to see, as well as easy walking trails to explore. The NRT puts on Spring Family Night Hikes, summer camp for kids, and a huge Harvest Fair in October that seems to bring the entire town to their grounds.

7. Easton Town Pool. Opening this week, this town pool is the best spot on a hot summer's day with little kids. The pool is more like a small pond with filtered water, a sandy beach, and lots of lifeguards on hand to help keep an eye on beginning swimmers. 

8. Maguire's Bar and Grill. Massachusetts' oldest independently owned and continuously operated restaurant and bar, I don't think Maguire's ever closes -- we've made the short drive during a snowstorm! Maguire's is a great place to stop for a juicy burger, blackened shrimp pasta (my favorite!), or one of their special seasonal offerings. My kids love the lively, informal atmosphere as much as I do.

9. Ames Free Library. Check out one of the town's many historic buildings, this one designed by the famous American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. A spacious children's room and pretty outdoor gardens make the Ames Free Library a great stop for books, movies, and video games.

10. The Marketplace at Simpson Spring. Take a field trip to the oldest independent bottling plant in the US and try some of their delicious old-fashioned soda flavors like Cream Soda and White Birch. The Saturday marketplace also brings together local farms and food producers, crafters, and other locals businesses into a bustling year-round indoor market. If you can catch a tour, do it---totally fascinating for both kids and grown ups.

Do you have other Easton gems you love? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you want to pen a Local Gems guest post, contact Christine at editor@bostonmamas.com to check on availability.

Image credits: thumbnail via Maguire's; all images via linked websites or associated Facebook pages with the exception of Borderland State Park, via Wikipedia.

Ever since making my career leap 8 years ago, I've talked with many people who have felt a desire to leap but haven't been able to step off the ledge. I totally get it; many complicating factors get in the way of dreams. Subsequently, when I see a long-desired dream come to life, it pretty much makes my heart explode with happiness. Such is the case with my longtime friend (and Boston Mamas contributor), Paige, who just launched Tess & Ted.

Today I wanted to share about my experience with Paige's interior design services. Because her work has changed our lives. No joke.

To back up, I consider myself a person with a strong sense of style; getting dressed every day is easy and in general, I know what I like (and don't like) when I see it. However, when it comes to interiors, I become paralyzed; it just seems like a large, overwhelming process and in the past I’ve been afraid to make one-off choices without having a big picture plan (and I haven’t know where to start with the big picture plan!). Subsequently, I’ve always felt unsettled in my living spaces; everything has felt temporary and handed down and mismatched (though hey, we were super grateful for all those hand me downs during our grad student days), but I haven’t known how to start making changes. Jon and my styles also differ somewhat, and I’ve had no idea how to bridge those differences -- so, the topic of interiors has always stressed me out.

After the holidays, Jon and I started working with Paige. We decided that we were going to stay put in our home and wanted to finally make it feel like it was ours. During our consultation, Paige asked questions, listened intently, and returned with a series of inspiration boards (entryway, living room, dining room) that miraculously merged Jon and my styles, opened our eyes to different options, and just looked plain beautiful. She has since guided us through the process of transformation -- from bringing in contractors, to responding to my frantic “lifeline” shopping texts, to even picking up items on the fly when she thought they might work for us (with an option to say no of course).

I’m not overstating things when I say that Paige has changed our lives. With every step of our interior transformation -- from larger changes like paint and built-ins to smaller changes like lamps -- I’ve realized how incredibly important it is to make your home yours...to create a space where you feel comfort and joy and permanence. Every time I walk down the stairs and take in our new space, I smile. I have racked up a ton more smiles in the last 6 months!

We're still a work in progress -- we've been chipping away at our redesign both to keep an eye on budget and also since it just takes us a while to get around to things what with everything else in life. I'll be shooting photos of the house more formally once it's all done, but I wanted to share a sneak peek of 4 fantastic changes. Let's just say that we started with plain white walls, neutral textiles, and a shocking collection of mismatched wood furniture.

1. LIVING ROOM. We love our gray herringbone couch but used to have a clunky dark leather ottoman + boring solid tan rug. Everything just felt so flat. Now our living area feels light and fluid yet cozy thanks to sheepskin pillows, a shag rug, and the open slats on this round ottoman.

2. ENTRYWAY. This area is still a work in progress (custom cushions are on on their way!), but one of the major transformations is our entryway. It's a large space (we have an open concept first floor) but we could never find a way to situate the space so that it actually got used. Now we have a built in L-shaped window seat that has created a fabulous new sitting area, including a cozy reading corner.

3. DINING ROOM. We were initially unsure of the dramatic contrast wall + coral lamps but of course it looks totally awesome.

4. DINING ROOM. Our dining room used to be really, really sad with a hand me down butcher block table covered with scribbles + horrendously ugly chairs I bought on sale from a department store during grad school. I love entertaining and I always felt embarrassed hosting people in this setting. Now it is a joy to entertain, thanks to a lovely oval dining table, white Eames-style chairs (including viking fur on a couple of them...awesome), and these gorgeous chairs I DIY'd after Paige found the original pair on Craigslist for $40.

I really can't say enough good things about Paige -- both as a person and a professional. But if you want to read more about her gifts (she can even help you via Skype if you aren't in the Boston area), check out what some of her other clients have to say about her. If you fit any of these 7 descriptions, I highly recommend you drop her a line.

Image credits: Christine Koh

One of my favorite things about summer is when beets come in season. I know there are some beet haters out there, and if you are in that camp, try fresh local ones -- they are a completely different animal! Beets are in season June through September in Masschusetts, come in a variety of gorgeous colors, and also happen to be super good for you. This week's Eat Seasonal feature offers 8 ways to enjoy beets through the day:

1. Start your day with a nutrient-rich beet smoothie.

2. This yummy beet salad comes via my sister Sharon and it is simply delicious.

3. Want to amp up your protein? Try this roasted beet and lentil salad.

4. This chilled orange beet soup looks so refreshing. I love the addition of egg (very Korean!); and it’s also a great way to use your seasonal cucumbers!

5. I am totally making this beet, arugula, and goat cheese sandwich today. YUM.

6. And maybe I’ll have some beet chips alongside my beet, arugula, and goat cheese sandwich.

7. My mother totally gives me the hairy eyeball whenever I compost produce greens. Here’s a simple recipe for sauteed beet greens.

8. Time to break out the ice cream maker for this 5-ingredient beet sorbet.

Image credits: strawberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

The little angel's betta fish, Simon, went down the toilet, where all streams go to the ocean, last week. I bought Simon on a whim as a surprise one day, because I had fond memories of my own betta fish in college and because I think every child needs a fish. My daughter hadn't even asked for one; it was just one of those impulse things I do as a mother because I can. When she came home from school that day, I showed her Simon, and I think I was more excited than she was, but she grew to love him and shed a tear when we made the decision that anyone who has fungus growing on his side and who has eaten part of his own tail is probably on the shady side of the tree now. RIP, Simon.

We made a trip to the pet store and came home with a new tank and a new betta fish, which the little angel named Serendipity without really knowing what that name meant. I promised to buy more distilled water so we could take better care of the tank, even though Simon did actually live for three years through his murk and that is pretty good for a betta fish. It's been a week and it's time to start switching out half the water like the man at the pet shop told us to do. The man who also looked at us with his jaw dropped when we admitted we never turned out the light on Simon's tank and said, "You know they don't have eyelids, right?" and made me feel as though we had strapped Simon to a chair and played The Cure and showed him non-stop video of the bombing of Hiroshima. So now we turn out the light for Serendipity at night. 

That fish is so spoiled.

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New on Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews -- Time, Inc.'s Big Book of When

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! We had a lovely one, enjoying lots of time outside, a solstice gathering with friends, World Cup, Maleficent (which I thought was quite good!) barcalounger style (!), and an incredible business launch party for a dear friend (which I will share more about soon!). Now, on to Monday! enjoy this roundup of fun for the week!

June 23 - 26: Learn to take smart photos. (Natick)

June 24: Explore Boston’s islands on free ferry day. (Boston)

June 24 + 26: Josu Ortiz Trio. (Boston)

June 25: Tree huggers at the Esplanade Playspace. (Boston)

June 25: It’s time to play in the park. (Lincoln)

June 25: A historical tea time. (Hanover)

June 25: Green art and earth tales. (Concord)

June 25: A lantern walk and lantern making workshop. (Easton)

June 25: Learn about the birds and the bees. (Lincoln)

June 25: Explore fireflies. (Belmont)

June 26: Fruitlands centennial celebration. (Harvard)

June 27: Space storytime. (Cambridge)

June 27: Learn about Ramadan. (Boston)

June 27: Free Friday night fun featuring the Maynard Community Band. (Acton)

June 27: Free admission to Franklin Park Zoo. (Dorchester)

June 27: Free admission to Worcester Art Museum. (Worcester)

June 27: Free admission to The Sports Museum. (Boston)

June 27: Free admission to MIT Museum. (Cambridge)

June 27: Free admission to Cape Cod Maritime Museum. (Hyannis Port)

June 27: Free admission to Tanglewood. (Lenox)

June 27: Free admission to Mass MOCA. (North Adams)

Image credit: Children's Museum, Easton