Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 07:01 AM
How are your holidays going? Are you making some memories and some traditions with your families?
When I was little, my grandmother would bring me to see State Ballet of Rhode Island’s performance of Coppelia. While other ballet companies perform the Nutcracker, this gem of a performing company puts on Coppelia every Christmas. It’s a wonderful ballet full of dolls and toys and beautiful dancing. I went on to take classes at the ballet school affiliated company and I even performed as a doll one year (as a grown-up!), but that is a story for another time.
Now, as a mom, I bring my kids to see the State Ballet of Rhode Island. We’ve been to see the Nutcracker in Boston – which is amazing. But honestly, the cost of doing so is so expensive. We can go see Coppelia for a fraction of the price.
My daughter is taking ballet close to our home in Massachusetts and she loves it.
Photo courtesy of Enid Ricci Photography
I want to show her where her ballet lessons can take her, if she keeps at it.
So, we headed out to the Saturday matinee performance of Coppelia. My son used to come too, but now he doesn’t want to miss his afternoon basketball game. 
This year, in addition to the performance of Coppelia, State Ballet of Rhode Island hosted a pre-performance tea for children. It was fantastic!
The children sat down to a table and enjoyed cookies and punch. They also had cheese and crackers sponsored by Cabot Cheese. Since the cheese was labeled, I could check the NuVal scores! (Do I ever take a break from my job? 
) We enjoyed some 50% reduced fat Cabot cheddar cheese with Omega-3 (NuVal score of 25). And, I took some to my sister, Julie, who was out selling flowers in the lobby to help support State Ballet (she serves on their Board of Directors). Julie is lactose intolerant and this cheese works for her!
While the treats were delicious, the best part about the tea was still yet to come. All of the performers stopped by to visit!
Swanhilda, the star of the show, arrives
And they took pictures with all the children…
With Swanhilda
With Friday night's Swanhilda, in her wedding dress
With the Czardas, village folk dancers
And signed autographs…
- Dr. Coppelius signs an autograph
Even Herci Marsden, Artistic Director (and my ballet teacher!) stopped by. She’s simply amazing. Her ballet company, which she founded, has just celebrated its 52nd year.
It was a magical day – one that I know my daughter will remember spending with her mom and with her aunt.
And one of the best things about it? On the way home, my daughter asked, “Mom, can I be a ballerina when I’m a teenager?” Yes, I think that the experience helped to spark some passion for ballet in my daughter. I wanted to shout for joy! But I composed myself and said, “Well, if you practice every day, I’m sure you can.” Isn’t it great what a few dolls and some Christmas magic can do? 
Question of the Day
What holiday traditions or memories are you making this season?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Field Trips
Tags: ballet, Coppelia, Holidays, Nutcracker, State Ballet of Rhode Island, tea
Friday, May 20, 2011 at 07:21 AM
I had so much fun taking my kids into Boston on the train last month that I did it again.
This time, my husband came along too. It was like a Family Date. We skipped ballet class and a baseball game and just took off for the afternoon and evening.
We took the kids to see the Boston Pops.
These were our “Snow” tickets. You see, we were supposed to see the Boston Pops on December 26th for their Holiday concert. But there was a blizzard. So while the Pops still held their concert that day, they offered patrons comp tickets for a spring performance if you couldn’t get into the city due to the bad weather. That’s what we did.
The Pops only put on one Family Concert in the Spring, but it is so worth it. They played music from Harry Potter, Beauty and the Beast and Star Wars. Our kids loved it.
And I ♥ Keith Lockhart!
After the show, we took the T over to the North End for dinner.
I ♥ The North End.
B.C. (Before Children) we used to go to the North End a lot. Now, not so much. One of the most fun things about the age our kids are at now (6 and 7) is that we get to show them so much fun stuff and it is all new to them. Watching them take in the sights, sounds and smells of Boston’s historic Italian district was a true delight.
First we had dinner at La Famiglia, where my daughter had the audacity to order chicken fingers, but I made her politely suggested that she order spaghetti and meatballs instead. Really? We’re in the Italian North End and you want chicken fingers? You must have spaghetti, just like Lady and The Tramp.
After dinner, we headed over to Caffe Vittoria for dessert.
Caffe Vittoria is known for Italian coffee and desserts.
The menu is extensive.
Our kids loved the cotton candy gelati.
And I loved my decaf skim latte.
After all that eating, we needed to walk it off. So we strolled through the Rose Kennedy Greenway and stopped at our favorite carousel.
There was still time to stroll through Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall before walking over to South Station for the train ride home. Truth be told, this train was probably about one hour too late for our tired kids, but we all made it through just fine.
All in all, it was a magical evening.
For my tips on visiting cities with your kids, check out my New England Aquarium post. To that list, I would add this tip:
- When in need of a restroom, pop into the nearest luxury hotel. The staff at the Millenium Hotel graciously pointed us to their Ladies’ Room in their lobby and it was fabulous! Much better than the one we had to use at Back Bay Station when we arrived in Boston.
Question of the Day
What’s your idea of a great Family Date (or just a Great Date)?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Field Trips
Tags: Field Trips
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 07:02 AM
Fridays call for a Field Trip, don’t they?
Last week, I packed up my kids and we headed to the New England Aquarium. During School Vacation Week. I know, I know. That is not for the faint of heart. But after Disney World, I figured I could handle crowds and lines, no problem. So, I took a vacation day on Thursday and we headed in to Boston on the train.
My kids had a laundry list of items they wanted to bring on the 30-minute train ride, including:
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the 734-page book that my second-grade son is currently reading)
- Dolls
- Stuffed Animals
- Board Games
- Food and Beverages
When it comes to saving some money and eating healthy, I’m typically all for packing food and lunches. Hey, we even brought snacks and lunches to Disney World! However, since my husband was working, and I was trekking to Boston on train and foot with two kids solo, I wanted my little backpack to be as light as possible. So, all food was to be purchased and our entertainment consisted of 1 small notebook, 2 pens and a train schedule.
So, off we went – on the 9:09 train out of our hometown. Just past rush hour, but still early.
The commuter rail ride in was a thrill for my kids. They followed our stops on the train schedule, tracking the stops and asking about all the funny names, like “Ruggles”. Once we got to South Station, I gave them the option of taking a cab or the subway to the aquarium. They chose subway. So, we hopped on 3 different lines of the T (red, green, blue) to get over to the aquarium. The cars were packed – standing room only – and my kids thought this was sooooo cool.
When we arrived at the aquarium, the line to buy tickets began in a tent on the plaza in front of the building. And it wrapped all the way down to the street and then down another street. Not kidding. It must have been a quarter mile long. However, I had very smartly purchased my tickets online the night before (and printed them!) so we walked right by that big long line into the aquarium. Of course, I told my kids, “Mom is a rock star! Repeat after me, Mom is a Rock Star!” Whew! That would have been at least an hour of standing outside on a cold windy day.
Once inside, I knew just what to do, thanks to my Disney World Training. It’s like Boot Camp for Moms Trying To Entertain their Children.
- Get a locker and unload sweatshirts and anything you don’t want to carry.
- Use the restroom. Everyone in the Women’s room. Sorry, ladies, but I’m by myself. I met other Mom’s with sons doing the same thing.
- Check for hunger. My son is starving. We head upstairs to the cafe, which is not yet crowded, and get cereal.
Whew! Finally, we can enjoy the aquarium.
Very cool!
The aquarium has a new touch tank, where you can actually touch rays and sharks. That was the only exhibit that was really overcrowded. We were able to get up close to everything else. The aquarium is so well laid out – there is plenty of viewing space for everyone.
But by 1 pm, it was getting very crowded, so it was time to head out and find some lunch. I figured best to eat outside the aquarium, right?
Across the street is Legal Sea Foods, one of my favorite Boston restaurants. But I could see many families inside waiting for tables. So then I remembered Joe’s American Bar and Grill, just a short walk over on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. My 30th birthday party was there! We walked on over - there was a 20 minute wait – but the kind wait staff told us that our buzzer would work on the playground outside. Perfect!
After a wonderful lunch at Joe’s, we decided to walk part of our T-route – through the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Faneuil Hall. We stopped at the Flying Horses.
We just had the best day ever.
My new resolution is to always try an take a vacation day during my kids’ school vacations. If I can.
And here’s why. My kids did a lot of fun stuff over vacation: a Pawtucket Red Sox game with our whole extended family, a relaxing day at home with my husband while he put up their new basketball hoop, a day at their After School Program, a day with their babysitter at the movies, another day with Grandma doing Earth Day activities and going to the movies, and then Easter. But when my daughter went back to school, and her kindergarten teacher asked her to draw a picture about what she did on school vacation, she drew this:
My Tips for Aquarium/Museum/City Visits with Kids
- Take the train – and research times and parking ahead of time.
- Buy your tickets online ahead of time to avoid lines.
- Leave the DS at home. They can survive without it for one day – and you don’t want to carry it!
- Pack light!
- Bring hand sanitizer.
- Research where you will be visiting, so you know if they have lockers (so nice for unloading some stuff while you walk around).
- Dress your kids in the same shirt or outfit, to help you keep track. I put both kids in their elementary school shirts, which were white. The aquarium has cool purple lights, so the kids like turning purple!
- Put your name and cell phone number in your child’s pocket, so that if you are separated from your child, they can give it to a museum or aquarium staff member to call you right away.
- Visit early or late to avoid crowds.
- Look for restaurants a little away from the museum or aquarium for fewer crowds.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Field Trips
Tags: New England Aquarium
Friday, February 19, 2010 at 07:29 AM
Johnson & Wales University, a college known for it culinary arts program, has a great museum for every foodie and cooking fanatic. I actually learned about it while reading an article about kitchen design in the Boston Globe Magazine. I was intrigued by the idea of exploring cooking through the ages and seeing a little Julia Child memorabilia, so while our kids headed to Grandma & Papa’s one recent Saturday afternoon for a sleepover, we checked out the Culinary Arts Museum in Providence, RI.
My husband looks so like he would rather be going someplace else, doesn’t he? He is such a good sport!
I just love a museum in winter, especially on bitterly cold days when there is absolutely nothing you could do outside.
One of the first things that we learned at the museum is that food labeling is not such a new concept after all. The Blue Goose Buying Guide originated in 1935 to instruct consumers on how to purchase fruits and vegetables. It is even blue and white, just like NuVal!
There was some famous chef memorabilia, including an apron signed by Julia Child. But the best part of the museum came after all the famous chef stuff.
My husband and I have been researching a kitchen redesign for our house, so we were interested in checking out how kitchens have evolved through the ages.
There was a colonial kitchen:
I learned that the Number 2 cause of death for women in Colonial times (after childbirth) was cooking. Apparently, it was very dangerous. We don’t know how good we have it!
There was an 1880′s kitchen:
A 1909 kitchen:
And my favorite, a Country Fair Demonstration Kitchen.
I can’t remember the year of that kitchen, but from the looks of it, I would say it’s Pre-MadMen. It reminds me of the kitchen that was in my Great-Grandmother’s house.
I also loved this – a very early microwave, circa 1960.
The museum has some real treasures, like cooking artifacts from ancient times and Presidential China. But it also has some quirky collections, like these Pez dispensers:
My kids would have loved that.
Natives of Rhode Island would recognize the neon sign from Camille’s restaurant on Federal Hill. It was my grandmother’s favorite. It was heart-warming to see it there.
We were enjoying some peace and quiet on this Saturday, but if we had brought the kids, they would have loved this exhibit:
Like I said, my husband was a great sport. And he finally got his reward. The last exhibit in the museum is a Diner Exhibit. My husband loves, loves, loves diners.
The museum actually uses this space for various functions. In the Diner Exhibit, there are menus and other items from many, many diners, including some that my husband and I have frequented. It was so cool!
All this for only $6 with our AAA discount. If you love to cook and live in or around the Providence area, I definitely suggest a visit!
Turns out, my husband actually had a good time. We followed our museum visit up with dinner and a movie. It was a great date.
Question of the Day
What is your favorite museum?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Field Trips
Tags: Culinary Arts Museum
