Lifestyle/family stories
Dear Margo
Trying to stop shoplifting but can’t
Q. I graduated from college last summer with highest honors after receiving a full scholarship. I worked hard, believing it would pay off in the job market. Well, once school was over, I found it very difficult to find decent employment. The only place I could find work was at a grocery store - which is the same job I ... (Boston Globe, 12/7/09)
Beverly Beckham
The imperfect science of capturing the perfect Christmas photo
My first Christmas card arrived a few days ago. It was still November and there it was, a photo card, no less, perfectly lighted and cropped and addressed and mailed! (Globe Columnist, 12/5/09)
R.I. grandfather’s Bananagrams is the game of the year
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. - Had a lightning bolt struck Abe Nathanson between the eyes that day, the outcome could hardly have been more, shall we say, fruitful. Four summers ago, a frustrated Nathanson was sitting at his dining room table, having lost yet another Scrabble game to his 11-year-old grandson, Aaron. It wasn’t the loss that bothered Nathanson so much. It ... (Globe Staff, 12/4/09)
Playing Bananagrams
Playing Bananagrams Designed for two to eight players, Bananagrams comes with 144 letter tiles, which are arranged facedown as play begins. Players start by picking an equal number of tiles (11, 15, or 21), then turn them over and spell words as rapidly as possible. Each word must be connected to an existing one, as in Scrabble. Words can also ... (Boston Globe, 12/4/09)
Dear Margo
Words to remember to help fight fair
Dear Readers: I’ve never reprinted anything written by someone else, but the following was so good, I thought I would bend my own rule. The writer, Gretchen Rubin, blogs about ways to be happy at www.happiness-project.com. What particularly caught my eye was her “23 Phrases to Help You Fight Right.’’ I have long felt that fighting fair was the key ... (Boston Globe, 12/3/09)
Parenting stories
Recipe for turkey meatballs and spaghetti
Serves 4 with leftovers TOMATO SAUCE (Boston Globe, 1:40 p.m.)
Italian-style meatball soup recipe
Serves 4 with leftovers 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery ribs, sliced 10 cups chicken stock 1 cup ditalini or other tiny soup pasta 15 meatballs, halved Leftover spaghetti with sauce clinging to it (if you have some), snipped several times with a scissors Salt and black pepper, to taste Crushed red pepper, to ... (Boston Globe, 1:39 p.m.)
Sunday supper and more
Double up on heart-healthy comfort food
Steaming plates of spaghetti and meatballs define comforting family suppers. The tender little rounds of moist and flavorful meat appeal to children and adults of all ages. It’s hearty, warming fare that everyone can appreciate. In fact, this is a good time to get youngsters interested in the kitchen. Little hands can roll the meat mixture into balls that parents ... (Globe Correspondent, 1:37 p.m.)
Sunday Supper shopping list
SHOPPING LIST ■Olive oil (Boston Globe, 1:38 p.m.)
CPSC: 2 deaths lead to hammock recall
Two infant deaths have led to the recall of about 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds -- hammock-like beds marketed to parents of fussy babies with colic or reflux. (Associated Press Writer, 5:11 p.m.)
Things to do
Holiday Pops at Symphony Hall
Put yourself in a ho-ho-ho mood by listening to a preview of “The Twelve Days of Christmas’’ on www.bostonpops.org. The traditional tune tweaked with excerpts from popular songs is a staple at the annual Holiday Pops led by Keith Lockhart and featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The program of holiday favorites features ice sculptures to accompany “Gifts of Great Meadows’’ ... (Globe Staff, 12/7/09)
Fiction, paperbacks: Book boxes for kids this year
Box sets of popular series, off-kilter encyclopedias and beloved classics in special editions make books a good way to take the edge off all the electronic games and plastic toys that wash ashore for kids at the holidays. (Associated Press, 12/7/09)
Sunday's Child
Sunday’s Child is Alonzo, 11
Hi! My name is Alonzo. I love the outdoors and I do very well in school. (Boston Globe, 12/7/09)
Parenting Traps
The gifted child
Is it possible to give without promoting materialism? (Boston Globe, 12/5/09)
Voices
A decade later, a lot has changed in the world of motherhood
Babies don’t change much from one era to the next, but babyhood sure does. At least that’s how it feels as I compare the arrivals of my two children, more than a decade apart. I gave birth to our son 12 years ago, and this summer my husband and I met our daughter in China, one week after her first ... (Globe Staff, 12/4/09)
Surfing the Net With Kids: Tigers
As Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow followed the Yellow Brick Road, they feared the animals they might encounter. “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!’’ (Boston Globe, 12/3/09)
New moms hiring baby planners to help pre-baby
With twins on the way, Stacey Blackmar and her husband were looking to be prepared first-time parents when they started researching baby products. Instead, they found themselves bewildered with all the choices and information available. (Associated Press, 12/3/09)
Kids and other events listings
KIDS THE VELVETEEN RABBIT Love brings a stuffed bunny to life in Margery Williams’s classic tale. Boston Children’s Theatre makes the story come alive with original puppets and young actors. Recommended for ages 4-12. Dec. 5, 2 p.m. Dec. 6, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Additional shows Sat-Sun through Dec. 20. $20-$25. Grand Lodge of Masons, 186 Tremont St., Boston. ... (Boston Globe, 12/2/09)
Thing to do
Tree lighting at Boston Common
Since 1972, Boston’s “official’’ Christmas tree has come from Nova Scotia as a thank you for help given after the Halifax Explosion in 1917. This year’s 46-foot white spruce, installed in its customary spot near the Visitors Center on Tremont Street, gets turned on tonight at the Boston Common Holiday Tree Lighting . The celebration features Mayor Menino, “American Idol’’ ... (Globe Correspondent, 12/2/09)
Things to do
Reagle Players’ ‘It’s ChristmasTime’ in Lexington
The Reagle Players celebrate the season as they have for over 25 years, with a variety show titled “It’s ChristmasTime.’’ Scenes include Victorian carolers in the Boston Public Garden, giant Nutcracker bears dancing with a smitten Clara, life-size Raggedy Anns and Andys, a living nativity, and a re-enactment of Radio City Music Hall’s dance of the wooden soldiers. Broadway diva ... (Globe Correspondent, 12/2/09)
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