Category: Spotlight

Local companies highlighted in Newton, MA.

Swap Houses to Live in South of France?! (Lake Annecy)

My blogging friend Becky of Kid World Citizen sent me this email and gave me permission to post it here.

My husband’s cousin has an amazing house in the south of France that she is hoping to “swap” for a year to give her kid the experience of living in the US. If you know of anyone who would want to swap houses for a year, or is just renting out their house for a year, please let her know:).

This is what her husband’s cousin says:

Dear Friends,

In the summer of 2014 we plan on moving to the USA for one school year. Our main objective is to let the kids experience education/life in the US for an entire year – to help improve their English overall, and for the cultural/life experience this would bring them.

In terms of practicality, because of Eric’s work (and his trips to and from Paris to see clients), we will need to be based on the East coast, preferably in a location that is a simple drive to an international airport with direct flights to Paris. For example, Boston, Washington DC, NYC, Philadelphia, etc. Also living in a location with a good school district is a must – we will be putting the kids in a public school (we will have a 6th grader, 4th grader, and Kindergarten student).

We will be putting up our home in Annecy, France, for rent after the holidays, but have also entertained the idea of ‘swapping homes’ with the appropriate family if that were to work out. If you know of anyone who would be interested in swapping homes or renting our home in Annecy for one year beginning August 1st, 2014, please give them my email/mobile or simply forward this email.

Equally, if you happen to know of anyone who will be renting out their home next school year, please send us a quick email.

Here is a website with photos of the house and a description. For more details, please contact us directly.

If you have any ideas of great locations to move to, feel free to let us know! We will be sorting all of this out in the next few months.

Many thanks! Look forward to seeing more of our USA based friends in the near future!

Rebeca

Here is a description of the house (and it is an amazing house!!!).

Perched on a hill in a village on Lake Annecy, our home has breathtaking views that span from the city of Annecy on one side to a castle in the village of Duingt on the other side of the lake, and the beautiful mountains right in front of us. With a pool, a petanque court, large terrace and lots of grassy areas, it is the perfect place for a family.

Annecy and the surrounding region have often been voted one of France’s favorite vacation destinations and are voted the country’s top sports destination year after year – with all of the water sports in the warm months and the winter sports in the colder months. Annecy is also well known for its many castles, the charming old town, markets, excellent restaurants, great shopping, music festivals, and Europe’s largest and most famous fireworks display every August. Please take a look at the videos on our website for scenes and images of Annecy and the region.

Our house was completely renovated in 2011 and has a modern, streamlined interior with some of the rustic charm of the house’s original structure.

The main house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and one guest toilet room, a main living area with cathedral ceilings and exposed beams, a modern kitchen with large bar that seats up to eight, and a mezzanine overlooking the living room which serves as a playroom, office and extra living space. There is also a small TV lounge and laundry room in the main house.

The ground level of the house has an independent apartment (in-law unit) with it’s own entrance, two bedrooms, a shower room and toilet, and a living area that includes a kitchen.

The exterior of the house has a 10-meter swimming pool, petanque court, terrace, grill, large table seating up to 12, and lots of outdoor seating and lounging areas.

The house is in a quiet residential area, a five-minute drive to the center of our village and ten kilometers from the city of Annecy. For those who like to walk, it is a 15-minute walk to the village where you will find a bakery, post office, supermarket, pharmacy and newspaper shop. The bicycle path is a ten-minute walk from the house – the path takes you all the way to the center of Annecy (rollerbladers, walkers and bikers allowed on the bicycle path.) The nicest beach on the lake is a five-minute drive or ten-minute bicycle ride away, and golf and tennis are close by too.

Annecy is served by the TGV train (3.5 hours from central Paris) and by Geneva airport (25 minutes to Annecy, 45 minutes to our house).

If you are interested in house swapping, please go here to contact Rebeca.

December 13, 2013
Dog Safety Tips for the Holidays from DogTV

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas fast approaching, the next few weeks will be filled with wrapping paper and bows, breakable ornaments, lots of holiday food and maybe even an anxiety pill or two to take the edge off when visiting with the in-laws. But through all the hustle and bustle, it can be easy to forget about your pooch and all the hazards associated with the Christmas season.

To keep your dog safe and out of trouble over the holidays, the pet experts behind DOGTV, the first and only channel created just for dogs, have compiled a list of holiday safety tips for canine owners.

1. Don’t turn your pooch into a holiday decoration – avoid putting lights on the lower branches of the tree

Source: We Heart It

2. Pups get chilly too – keep them warm and cozy on winter walks

Source: We Heart It

3. Holiday plants can be dangerous – keep dogs away from the poisonous ones like poinsettia, holly and mistletoe

Source: flickr

4. Avoid an expensive surgery – keep tinsel, ribbon and garland out of their reach

Source: flickr

5. Don’t throw them a bone – turkey, ham and lamb bones can get stuck in their throat and intestines

Source: flickr

6. If your dog gets into the prescription pills it will give you more anxiety that your in-laws – keep them out of paws reach

Source: drdvmd.com

7. Use a pet friendly tree preservative – just like toilet water, dogs may drink from under the tree

Source: We Heart It

8. Dogs are curious creatures – don’t put edible gifts in stockings. They may not be there in the morning

Source: Flickr

December 11, 2013
New Elite Soccer Skills Academy with Diego Fagundez

Diego Fagundez and Dan Colwell are teaming up starting the Elite Skills Academy!

I was Diego’s youth coach from when he was 8 years old until he signed his professional contract with the Revolution. We now want to start passing along some of the skills and ways to think more creatively. It will start as a winter skills clinic over the month of December on Sundays. The focus of the clinic will be ball mastery, developing a creative mindset on the ball, and many technical components of the game we all watch Diego do on the field now with the Revolution.

The clinic will take place the the Fieldhouse in Sudbury and space is limited. Look forward to see you there!!

Dan Colwell
Elite Skills Academy – Director

Sign up here.

Come join New England Revolution phenom Diego Fagundez as he teams up with Boston University assistant coach Dan Colwell for what will be a memorable four-session winter skills clinic.

The Elite Skills Academy (ESA) is structured to provide youth soccer players with a positive and energetic environment focusing on technical skill, creativity, and speed of play. They will learn ball mastery gaining comfort on the ball, exposed to a creative thought process, first touch development, and technique allowing them to play and make quicker decisions on the ball.

COST: $125

12/8 – 11:30am – 1:00pm

12/15 – 10:00am – 11:30am

12/22 – 11:30am – 1:00pm

1/5 – 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Dan Colwell – Director

dcolwell10@gmail.com

image from fan phobia

December 3, 2013
WellCoin Promotes Healthy Choices in Newton

WellCoin is a website that promotes healthy living. It is coming to Newton! Business partners sign up and healthy habits earn coins that can be traded in at local businesses for rewards.

Here is what Peirce Elementary School nurse Mandy Bass says:

“Business partners include Whole Foods, Legal Seafood, and Pink Berry, among others (24 business partners in all; the founder is working on getting more kid friendly businesses such as book stores, Learning Express, toy stores involved). Setti Warren is behind it 100% in the interest of community wellness, and to support local businesses.

Another nice aspect about WellCoin is that healthy habits rewarded are things people can do without spending a lot of money; go for a walk, eat a healthy snack, etc. if they are not already involved in after school sports.

WellCoin also encourages anyone to participate; certain activities are specifically capped so the elite athlete is not rewarded beyond the individual who wants a healthy lifestyle. We were told, for instance, exercise is capped at 1 hour; if you exercise for 4 hours a day, you get the 1 hour credit and a Congratulations!

This type of project is in line with objectives for elementary aged children written by the HHS, CDC, and affordable care act (prevention commission).”

Here’s more information about Wellcoin:

“Wellcoin makes it fun to get healthy and stay healthy”

Well Coin was founded by a Newton MD, Glen LaFel. It’s a for-profit company which has a mission “to help the world get healthier by increasing the frequency and diversity of healthy activities in our daily lives.”

It uses “health currency.” You earn virtual Wellcoins when you do healthy activities. There is a list of thousands of healthy activities which have assigned Wellcoin values (The amount earned is based on how hard the activity is to do, how long it takes to complete, the impact on your health , etc.) People can redeem their Wellcoins for goods + services from Wellcoin Partners, (which are local businesses, who choose to participate, and choose their rewards they will be offering and how many Wellcoins the reward will cost.)

People know what to do (healthy eating + activities), and this rewards them for their good choices. People earn virtual currency for doing something healthy and then reporting it.

Individuals sign up for free. Right now, it is geared to adults, but they are starting Wellcoin Family, where parents sign up, and enroll their child. This initiative will help to teach the children about healthy activities, etc. in a way that gives rewards. Parents can get points for driving their child to soccer practice, going to the farmer’s market with their child, cooking healthy meals together… Then the family can decide together whether to get a quick reward, or to save up for something together. (This is similar to the old S+H green stamps.)

Newton is the first model city for Wellcoin, and it was launched in Newton in May 2013. By early October 2013, 500,000 coins had been earned by people in Newton. DZ has earned over 14,000 coins since May.

WellCoin can be utilized by adults or children. It’s easy to sign up. Just go here.

November 27, 2013
Shawn’s Studio Pilates: You Can Try for FREE!

My mom friend Maddie has been raving about her Pilates place for years. She has a bad back and she says Shawn is the only Pilates studio she’s been to that doesn’t end up injuring her back.

Shawn offered to let me try it but I’m not a Pilates person so I sent in my friend Lisa to try Shawn’s Studio Pilates out. She’s been doing Pilates for years. She says, “Shawn’s studio is well-appointed & inviting. His instruction is concise, with an emphasis on correct form & muscle awareness – perfect for everyone, but especially those with injuries or chronic conditions that must make modifications to certain exercises.”

Here she is hanging upside down:

Now, she’s twisted like a pretzel:

My friend Julie went as well because she’s always willing to try out a new exercise place despite dealing with a foot injury. She’s trying out the Reformer here:

Shawn’s Studio Pilates

103 Morse St.

Watertown, MA

Shawn is offering my readers a special discount! Readers (who are new to this studio) will receive a 50% discount on the client’s first Private session and one Free Group class subsequent to the intial Private lesson (excluding any already discounted packages).

Shawn would like new clients to start with a Private to ensure he or she is doing it with correct form in order to stay safe. I really appreciate that!

November 17, 2013
NNHS Girls Volleyball Goes to State Championship!

A rematch a year in the making will take place Saturday night at Algonquin High School after the Newton North girls volleyball team used another punishing display of serving, blocking and hitting power to beat Concord-Carlisle in the Division 1 state semifinal Wednesday night at Canton High.

The Tigers advance to the state championship match for the second straight year, where they will once again face Barnstable for the crown. In last year’s final, Barnstable rallied past Newton North for a 3-1 victory after the Tigers had beaten the Red Raiders earlier in the season. North suffered a second straight loss to Barnstable in this year’s regular season, and would like nothing more than to turn the tables on the defending champions with everything on the line Saturday night.

From Wicked Local Newton

Newton North High School Girls Soccer will play in State Championship tomorrow (Friday).

Newton North High School Girls Volleybally will pay in State Championship this Saturday!

Algonquin High School

79 Bartlett St, Northborough, MA 01532

Good luck!!!

November 14, 2013
Yo Fresh Deal on Living Social

My friend Lynn is very good at scouting unique gifts and great deals. She just sent me this link to Living Social. It’s a gift card for $12 from Yo Fresh in Newtonville but it only costs $6 and never expires.

• $6 for $12 to spend on food and non-alcoholic drinks
• This delectable frozen yogurt parlor dishes out a plethora of delicious flavors
• Try fall favorites like pumpkin, eggnog, apple pie, and tart cranberry, or more

My kids love Yo Fresh so this is a great deal. I bought two cards!

November 10, 2013
NNHS Girls Soccer Senior Sheets

My daughter went to the Newton North High School Girls’ Soccer Team game that honored their graduating seniors. Her town soccer coach happens to be Brian Rooney, the Newton North Boys and Girls Varsity soccer coach from 2000 to 2009.

He said that the tradition of creating these beautiful sheets had begun long before he was the coach. The underclassmen on the team spend four hours every weekend starting in September until this final game to make this sheets. My daughter’s Bolts club coach happens to be a Newton North High School graduate, Alessia Viscomi, and she says that her sheet hangs in a place of prominence in her home and is something that she treasures.

If you look at each sheet closely, each team member writes a special note to each graduating senior. In addition, some of the artistically talented soccer players create artwork that reflects each senior. There are probably lots of inside jokes that we don’t get but that is what makes it so special.

What a beautiful labor of love!

After I showed Alessia this post, she was kind enough to send me photos of her sheet and her older sister’s who also played soccer for Newton North High School. You can see how the sheets evolved over the years and how treasured they are!

November 9, 2013
Activities Fair for Families November 16
Activities fair for families on November 16. Parents can explore providers of academic, dance, martial arts, music etc programs that are in and around Newton.

Sponsors and Participants
- Boston ReadWrite
- Sopico
Participants
- Boston Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Create A Cook
- Down Under Yoga
- Empow
- HipStitch
- Joanne Langione Dance Center
- Mathnasium
- Music and Movement
- Newton Music Academy
- Puddlestompers
- Star Dance School
- Sullivan School of Irish Dance
- Urban Sitter
- The Etiquette Academy
- Contributors
- Newtonville Books
- Panache Box
November 6, 2013
Free 5 Pound Fruit Bag from Belkin Lookout Farm

It’s not too late to stock up on fruit for the fall! Belkin Family Lookout Farm has a variety of apples and Asian pears left to pick. Each visitor with a paid admission to Lookout Farm on Saturday, October 26^th and Sunday, October 27^th will receive one free 5-pound fruit bag – a $10 value.

WHEN:

Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27, 2013

Open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

WHERE:

Belkin Family Lookout Farm
89 Pleasant Street South
South Natick, MA 01760

There’s a whole day’s worth of activities sure to entertain visitors of all ages, with train rides through the orchards; picking your own apples; a Children’s Play Area; climbing the hay pyramid; visiting the farm animals including emus, rabbits, sheep, goats, donkeys, alpacas and cows and more; taking a turn on the moon bounce; live children’s entertainment; PLUS a burlap maze, face painting, a Caterpillar ride and hayrides.

October 25, 2013