Why, yes, it is my birthday this weekend.  Why, yes, I would like to go out to a nice (grown up) dinner with my husband.  And why yes, it is prom weekend in my town, so all my lovely young sitters are bejeweled, bedazzled and headed out for a night on the town.   But some very thoughtful and business-minded childcare places had this very scenario in mind when they began offering Parents Nights Out, or, as I like to call them, Mom’s Night of Sanity.  Some local areas that offer this service include the following:

Having sat through 3 soccer games and 2 lacrosse games today (just a regular Saturday around here!), it seems only fitting that I sit down now to write about…athletic events!  Now, my kids didn’t catch the sports bug super early.  Nope, mine were the kids picking daisies in the midst of the kindergarten soccer field as the ball sailed right past them. 

But this year, in 4th grade, my eldest has suddenly become sports obsessed.   And she’s not only obsessed with playing sports – she loves following them too.   Need Red Sox scores? She’s got ‘em.  Want to know if Chelsea beat Man U?  Look no further.  And as much as I love the Sox and Chelsea, Boston and London aren’t always so easy to get to, so we’ve found some local sports events to frequent.  Some of our spring and summer favorites:

I hate admitting this…but I’m not an avid animal lover.  Nope, when I think animals, I think slobber, muddy paws, fur flying everywhere, more slobber, and ummm….other doggy waste.  But naturally, my kids love animals, and I don’t want to deprive them of an animal filled childhood, so we try to visit area farms when we get the chance – especially in the spring, when the baby animals are cute and cuddly.   This year, we decided to head over to Sleepy Hollow’s Stone Barns for a day – well worth the 45-minute drive from our home in Fairfield County.

Ugh…over the past six months I've gotten way too practiced in trying to explain tragedy and evil to my kids.  And who am I kidding?  I have no idea why some jerk feels the need to kill and maim hundreds of innocent people as they partake in the festivities at the Boston Marathon.  But while I can’t understand the motivations of those who choose to hurt, I do know what makes me feel better in the face of evil: adding to the goodness in the world through volunteerism.   It seemed a natural assumption for my husband and me that being a part of the “good” could also make our kids feel less scared, more empowered, and more engaged in the world - particularly when events like the Newtown shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing leave them feeling scared and vulnerable.

It’s not always easy to find ways that kids can partake in volunteerism in a meaningful way.  But here are a few that we’ve found:

Ugh.  Here I was trying to think of a fantastic spring day trip to take with my nearly ten year old and where does she ask to go? THE MALL!!!!.  The birthplace of bad spending habits and teenage attitudes.  Bastion of bad taste and fast food.  Anywhere, I said to my teeny bopper, anywhere but the mall.

Naturally, the more I argued against it, the more my pre-teen daughter wanted that trip to the mall.  Fast forward several arguments and a battle of wills, and we found a brilliant – brilliant!- alternative … South Norwalk’s SoNo Marketplace.  

This new, dare I say hip, market is a converted old warehouse in South Norwalk, and its more than 40 vendors offer gourmet food, gifts, clothing, art and toys.  The vendors are largely located in stalls throughout the space, and there are great indoor and outdoor spaces for dining and relaxing.   

Santa Claus I get. The toothy fairy, no problem. But an oversized pink bunny who lays eggs? This tradition makes no sense to me. However, with a little digging I've learned that the tradition of the Easter bunny has its roots in centuries old pagan traditions of celebrating spring and renewal. The bottom line? As long as he's bringing chocolate, this bunny is good with me. And with my kids. Happily, there are lots of opportunities in the area, so many so that we have listed even more events occurring in Fairfield County here.

A favorite family dinner activity in this house is to adopt a different accent at mealtime.  I dare you to keep a straight face with a five-year old chatting away in her best Italian accent…

And so in honor of the approaching St. Patrick’s Day, last night we dined with our Irish brogues.  The result sounded something like an unholy mix of Cockney, Australian and Dutch dialects with a hint of New Orleans thrown in.   Music to the ears?  No.  Hilariously funny?  Undoubtedly.  And a great way to celebrate our Irish heritage (though no doubt our Irish ancestors are rolling in their graves!).  And always, there are lots of fun ways to celebrate Irish culture this St. Patrick's Day in Fairfield County, CT:

I find myself in new summer camp territory this year.  My 9 year old is old enough for sleep away camp, but her mother… ahem…isn’t quite ready to send her off.  But as I think she’s outgrown our local rec camp, I’ve been looking into some different alternatives.  I want her camp experience this year to really be a growing and learning experience for her, a chance for her to try something new and different.  And so we're considering some of the following: