Tag: Newton

Materials Accepted at the Recycling Depot in Newton

I find that I need a constant reminder of what is allowed in the recycle bin and what is not. The City of Newton sends out a flyer once a year and I save that but it seems to go missing when I have a question. Note that Alkaline batteries have a newish policy: No alkaline batteries made after 1994 need to be recycled in a special way– these do not contain mercury and are safe to dispose of with regular trash.

SCHEDULE AND DIRECTIONS

Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center
(Accepted Materials)

OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 7:30AM-2:30PM*; SATURDAYS FROM 7:30AM – 12:30PM*
CLOSED ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS.

Materials	How to Prepare	Not Accepted
Appliances and Freon Items	washers, dryers,water heaters,refrigerators, freezers, A/CsCan also schedule a curbside pick up ($12/stop)	Computers and electronics are ONLY accepted for curbside pick up and on special collection days. Click here for more information
Automotive Fluid	• Accept used motor oil and antifreeze• Also accept used oil filters (transmission and diesel)	Newton residents only; no business or commercial accepted. No five gallon containers accepted
Batteries	• Rechargeable batteries• Button cell batteries (from watches, hearing aids, calculators, etc)• Nickel Cadmium, Lead Acid, and other non-alkaline batteries•Click here for more options	No alkaline batteries made after 1994 – these do not contain mercury and are safe to dispose of with regular trash
Books	ALERT:Temporarily closed will re-open soon.To donate books, visit ourRecyclopedia.
Cardboard	• Corrugated Cardboard Boxes – do not need to be flattened, there is a compactor at the Recycling Depot	• No soiled pizza boxes• No plastic bags• No foam packaging
Cell Phones	• Also accept chargers• Are donated to a charitable organization for recycling or refurbishing• Also accepted at Customer Service Center in City Hall
Clothing	• Clean, useable clothing to be donated to charitable organizations
Computer Monitors and TVs	ALERT: These items are now only accepted curbside.Please click here to schedule a special collection.($12/stop)Also accepted one Saturday a month, click here for dates.	Please click here to schedule a special collection.
Containers	• Glass containers (clear, green, and brown)• All Stiff Plastic Containers (#1-#7)• Metal Cans and Foil (aluminum and steel cans, empty aerosol cans, and aluminum foil and trays)· Please rinse out containers	• No food waste• No Plastic bags• No styrofoam, even if it has a #6
Electronics	ALERT: These items are now only accepted curbside.Please click here to schedule a special collection.Scrap electronics, such as printers, fax machines, toaster ovens, coffee makers, stereos, fans, etc.• Consider donating working electronics, seedonation list.	Please click here to schedule a special collection.Also accepted one Saturday a month, click here for dates.
Fluorescent Bulbs	• If possible, bring in original packaging• Accept all types of fluorescent bulbs	• Do not tape together• Do not crush bulbs
Lawn Mowers	• Remove gas tank	Can also schedule a curbside collection.
Mercury-containing devices	• Thermometers, thermostats, mercury switches, elemental mercury, and flowmeters• Do not throw away with trash, mercury is a hazardous material and must be disposed of properly
Paint Latex paint is NOT accepted at Hazardous Waste collections.	• For Paint Exchange (2011 dates: May 11th through October 14th; Mon-Fri, 7:30am-2:30pm)• Accept good, reusable latex and oil paint and paint products• Cans must be at least half full, useable, and less than 3 years old	• No paint older than 3 years• Small amounts of paint can be dried out and safely disposed of with trash, please remove lids (can use kitty litter/sand to expedite the process)
Paper	• Clean, white office paper• Mixed Paper – junk mail, newspaper, magazines, computer paper, paperboard (cereal, cracker, and shoe boxes, etc .- remove liners), folders, notebooks, phone books, etc. Plasticwindows, staples, and paper clips are acceptable.• Milk and juice carton and aseptic packaging, please rinse and flatten	• No paper plates, no paper cups, no tissue paper, no wax paper, and no plastic bags• No soiled paper
Printer Cartridges	• Laser and inkjet cartridges• Also accepted at Customer Service Center at City Hall
Propane Tanks	Must be emptied Will also accept EMPTY Helium tanks and fire extinguishers.However, most fire extinguishers can be recharged.
Scrap Metal	Metal desks, file cabinets, wire hangers, bikes, other metal pieces	Can also schedule a curbside collection.
Styrofoam	For a limited time, we will accept clean, white Styrofoam please break up large pieces Styrofoam must be in plastic bags all pieces must fit inside designated containers do not leave styrofoam on the ground	No colored styrofoam Styrofoam must be in bags do not leave Styrofoam loose or on the ground
Vehicle Batteries	Residents only

February 23, 2012

Because Spring is Almost Here … Maple Sugaring: Go, DIY, Read, and More!

I want to take my kids maple sugaring this year so I researched places near Newton. Have you been maple sugaring? What is your favorite place? Please leave a comment.

From Mass Audubon Society:

The Art of Nature: Sugaring Off, Ipswich River – 2/18/12

February Vacation Adventure Days, Ipswich River – 2/21/12

Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (AM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12

Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (PM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12

Winter Vacation: Winter Explorers, Gr. 2-3, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12

Winter Vacation: Winter Naturalists, Gr. 4-6, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12

February Flapjack Fling & Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 2/25/12

Sip Some Sap, Drumlin Farm – 2/29/12

Maple Magic, Drumlin Farm – 3/2/12

Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/3/12

Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/4/12

Sweet and Sappy – Maple Sugaring, Boston Nature Center – 3/4/12

Maple Sugar Days, Blue Hills Trailside Museum – 3/10/12

Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/10/12

Maple Sugaring Hike, Boston Nature Center – 3/10/12

Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/11/12

Maple Sugaring Festival 1., Moose Hill – 3/11/12

The Secret Life of Maple Syrup, Habitat – 3/13/12

Tree to Table 1, Moose Hill – 3/14/12

Tree to Table 2, Moose Hill – 3/14/12

From Sap to Sweet—The Art of Maple Sugaring (from Mass Audubon): Historical Roots

Native Americans were perhaps the first to discover that sap from maple trees could be processed into maple syrup. One popular oral legend is that a Native American chief hit a sugar maple tree with his tomahawk and the sap began to flow. The clear liquid that dripped from the split in the tree collected in a container on the ground. His wife used the liquid to cook venison and discovered that the meat and the sweet liquid that remained were delicious. Another theory: the Native people observed squirrels, sapsuckers, spring moths, and butterflies drinking from open wounds in trees.

From Sap to Tap

A spout placed inside a tap hole
where the sap will flow

New England maple syrup is produced during a short four- to six-week sugar window typically from early February into April. Conditions are optimum when the temperature rises above freezing during the day and then drops below freezing at night. This fluctuation in air temperature is vital, causing pressure to develop in the tree, which allows the sap to flow. As the maple sap flows up from the roots of the tree during the day, the maple syrup producer, or “sugarmaker,” taps the tree. Tapping involves boring a hole into the tree and placing a spout inside the tap hole. The sap runs out of the tree and lands in a bucket connected to the spout. Does this process harm the tree? When guidelines are followed and only healthy trees are tapped, no damage to the trees results. It’s estimated that tapping removes only 10 percent of a tree’s sugar—an amount too small to harm a healthy tree under normal conditions.

Maple Syrup in the Making

Traditional maple syrup buckets or a complex piping system can deliver up to hundreds of gallons of fresh sap to a large gathering tank. From the gathering tank, the sap flows into a sugarhouse through a filter to an evaporator, where it is boiled, removing water from the sap.

As the sap continues to boil the liquid becomes sweeter, i.e. it’s sugaring content increases and changes to an amber color. Before the sap starts to evaporate, it has about 2 to 2 1/2 percent sugar content. (The sugar content in trees changes as the season progresses; sugar maple trees have the highest concentration of sugar).

After the boiling process, the sugar content is about 66 percent. Next the maple syrup is put through another filter to remove “sugar sand,” which develops during the boiling and evaporation process. The maple syrup is then stored in stainless-steel drums for hot packaging into retail containers.

Where Else to Go

North Hadley Sugar Shack: open Wednesday through Sunday from Feb. 17th – April 18th for their pancake breakfast and sugaring tours.

South Face Farm, Ashfield, MA: Come visit us during maple sugaring season in March and early April. Our sugarhouse is always open for visitors, and on weekends our sugarhouse restaurant serves homemade pancakes, waffles, corn fritters, and many other special maple goodies. Try a stack of French Toast made with fresh homemade bread, topped with justmade maple syrup. Because maple sap flow depends on just the right weather conditions, you may want to call ahead and see if we are boiling when you plan to visit.

Harwick Sugar Shack: Join us for an Open house at Hardwick Sugar Shack every Sunday in March from 11-4 pm. Follow the process of making maple syrup from tree to tasting. During the open house you can sample the finished product, visit the horses, see the old-fashioned way of making syrup and enjoy hot mulled maple cider.

The Warren Farm, North Brookfield, MA: Open for guided sugaring tours Sat. & Sun. February 26th through March 27th, 2011, 11:30 and 2:00

The whole family will enjoy this fascinating visit to a New England sugaring operation.

We’ll share stories about the Native Americans’ role in the early history of sugaring, then continue by demonstrating colonial methods and tools for collecting and boiling. During a quick trip to our woods you’ll explore two different systems used today, and will have an opportunity to see new technology. Aspects of nature, science, meteorology, and math will be woven into the presentation. The tour heads to the sugarhouse, where a large evaporator stands ready to receive sap from collection tanks outside. Here, everyone will learn how sap is boiled into syrup, and see the equipment and gauges needed for this process. We’ll end back at the picnic table area for more stories and sampling. Boiling is weather dependent, so the tours are not based on our ability to boil. This is certainly a tradition that has something of interest for all ages!

New this year! You may also choose to just come and walk around the farm on your own at no charge and without reservations. The Sweet Traditionsmovie will be playing throughout the day in the greenhouse, and you can poke around the tour areas when groups are not using them. $5 Admission for ages 4 and up.

Some picture books to get the kids excited. Click on image to read reviews at Amazon.

If you are thinking of DIY, these books might be helpful!

And a maple sugar memoir with instructions!

Once you load up on maple sugar, purchased or homemade, here’s what to do with it!

February 18, 2012
2 MOMtrepreneurs Juggling It All: Meet Celeste and Laura of Well Within, Massage and Integrated Health

Starting a business with a friend can be tricky endeavor, but it’s working for Celeste Woodside and Laura Viale of Well Within on Washington Street (between Cabots and Whole Foods). As business owners, they each balance the other’s strengths and weaknesses. In fact, it’s this collaborative culture that infuses Well Within with an integrative approach.

Not only do they offer multiple modalities that includes massage (many, many types!), yoga, accupuncture, mat pilates, guided meditation, Reiki and holistic health coaching for nutrition, but they will actually refer clients to outside wellness practitioners if they feel that is best for the client!

Let’s meet them!

1. When did you decide to work together?
Celeste Woodside

Celeste: “We have worked together in the integrative health community for 8 years and have developed a wonderful friendship during that time. We both shared office space in Newton for about 5 years before coming together in October of 2010 to form Well Within.”

2. Tell me about your families. How many kids and what ages?

Laura Viale

Laura: “I remember the day we were running around Newton Town Hall with kids in tow and thinking, “What are we getting ourselves into??” I had my 2 year old daughter, and Celeste had her 4 year old daughter and her 6 month old son. We had just made the decision to create Well Within and had to file the proper documents with the town. Since we were in a time crunch, we had to get many things done without childcare – it was a bit interesting, but we pushed through and made it happen. Celeste and I are blessed with supportive, loving husbands, and our joyful children.

Celeste has two beautiful children: her super smart, energetic 5 year old daughter, who is an avid gymnast and clearly has her parents’ gifts of creativity; and her adorable son, who will be 2 in a couple weeks and just idolizes his big sister. My happy 3 year old daughter keeps us entertained with endless “dance recitals” in every room of our house. Our extended families have also been incredibly supportive of us in every way allowing us extra time to do what it takes run a proper business.”

3. What is the most challenging aspect of juggling your own business with parenting and taking care of yourself?

Celeste: “Time. More specifically, not having enough. We are definitely learning (on the job training) the delicate and unique art of how a work-from-home-and-also-in-the-office-stay-at-home(ish)-PTO-Mom gets the job(s) done. The gas in the tank comes, not-surprisingly, from practicing what we preach … eating well, moving our bodies, being mindful, getting good sleep (when children allow) and making time for relaxation. With this fuel, we are more grounded and energized and can use our time more thoughtfully. We’ve learned that turning off all devices, getting down on the floor and building a block tower for 20 minutes or so, followed by a good snuggle is a really effective way to get a toddler to understand that sometimes you have to answer emails.”

4. What made you decide to take an integrative approach to health?

Laura: “One of the reasons our private practices were quite successful was because we actively sought out opportunities to work in combination with other health care practitioners to improve the results of our clients’ treatments. The dramatic improvements our clients experienced when integrating treatments really inspired us to create a place where our clients could come and utilize both massage and acupuncture, for example, to relieve their symptoms. The team approach of our staff and the variety of services available, gives us a great opportunity to really make a difference in the health and wellness of our clients.”

5. You also have a blog? Tell me more! What do you write about?

Celeste: “In our blog we talk about all things integrative health. We share articles we love, have guest posts by other local wellness professionals (and authors!) and sometimes we even talk about our kids!”

Well Within is going to host a FREE event in March for cancer patients and their caregivers. They will enjoy a day of pampering and treatments and go home with a goody bag. More on that later…

February 17, 2012
Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Days in the Arts Summer 2012: 1 Week Creative Arts Sleep Away Camp in the Berkshires

My daughter did this last year and she loved it! It’s just a week of sleep-away camp with emphasis on art, music and/or performing arts. Your child gets to choose what to emphasize. She had the best time, and would love to go back but you are not allowed to go back-to-back years in order to give more kids a chance. Ask your child’s music or art teacher about it if you think it’s a good fit for your child. The other thing: it’s very well priced! All in all, my daughter would say it’s the best sleep away camp ever! The camp is called DARTS. (Days in the Arts).

The BSO’s popular overnight summer camp is now open for pre-application. For more than four decades, the BSO has provided thousands of children throughout Massachusetts with an opportunity to participate in this multi-arts/creative writing overnight camp in the beautiful Berkshires. In the summer of 2012, Newton students in grades 5, 6, & 7 are eligible to participate in Week 6, JUL 30 – AUG 3. Only 15 students from Newton will be selected to participate by lottery. Pre-applications with details about the program are available from the music teacher in your school.

Pre-applications must be returned to the Fine Arts Department no later than 4:00PM on Thursday, March 1st, Newton Public Schools, 100 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460.

February 16, 2012
Meet Your New Neighbor: Dr. Dave Oliver of Newton Wellness Center

Would you like to meet your new neighbor? Meet Dr. Dave Oliver, a chiropractor. He hails from New Jersey but has lived in the Boston area for the past five years. A little over a year ago he took over Newton Wellness Center in Piccadilly Square in Newton Centre — you know, right above Rosenfeld’s Bagels. He also is a new Newton resident. You might have seen him and his dog Marley in Newtonville.

1. What made you decide to move to Newton from New Jersey?

After chiropractic school I moved back to New Jersey where I did my internship. I started looking around for an associateship but didn’t find anything that I felt fit right. A little while after I graduated I took a trip up to Boston to visit my sister who has been living in Burlington the past 15 years. I had always enjoyed visiting Boston and really loved the area! I decided while I was up here I would see if there were any offices looking for an associate. I happened to find an office in downtown Boston that needed a new doctor to take over their patients. It seemed like a great opportunity so within a month I moved up to the area and started working. After spending 4 years working there and learning a great deal about running a chiropractic office, I decided it was time to start my own practice. After looking around a bit, I found a practice for sale in Newton that matched well with my style and was in a great location. I had always heard good things about Newton and as I began to look into the area I became more excited about starting a business here. I took over Newton Wellness Center in October 2010.

2. What did you do before taking over Newton Wellness Center?

I graduated Cum laude from Palmer College of Chiropractic in San Jose CA. While I was in school I had the opportunity to travel to Fiji where I spent several weeks traveling to the under-served areas and provided free chiropractic care to the local residents. Many of these people had never even seen a doctor in their lifetime and I found it to be one the most rewarding experiences in my life. I treated several hundred people during that trip and hope to do something similar in the future.

Shortly after, my move to Boston happened and I started working at Boston Chiropractic Associates in downtown Boston. I was the main clinic doctor in a very busy office so I learned a lot about running a business and what it takes to succeed. I established trust and great relationships with my patients – many of whom have followed me to Newton to continue their care.

3. I noticed that you have a large exercise room in your office. I’ve never seen that in Chiropractor office before and I’ve been to a few. Tell me about it and your philosophy on treating chronic pain.

I believe chiropractic care is a very effective treatment for a variety of conditions but I think there is far more we can do for our patients than simply adjust them and restore proper spinal motion. Many of the symptoms people come to me with – whether it be lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, etc.. are coming from the joint fixations/ misalignments in their spine. By adjusting them and restoring proper motion I can alleviate most of their symptoms.

However, when patients go back to their normal lives sitting at computers for hours, chasing their children, etc. (activities that most likely brought them into my office in the first place) more than likely their symptoms will come back. This is something I noticed working in Boston. Many of my patients would get a lot of relief from treatment but would inevitably come back in a a year or two and say their pain was back again. Unless they were under consistent care, many of them would have these recurrences.

This was a problem to me! There had to be a better solution, one which could provide longer lasting results. I began looking into the things that were really causing patients to come to me in the first place. I determined it was due to poor ergonomics at work – mostly desk workers and weakened or unconditioned muscles around the spine. I started learning as much as I could about proper ergonomics and spinal rehabilitation and started using what I learned on my patients. Low and behold their results were much better than before. They started to see/feel longer lasting relief and were still able to enjoy all the things they loved in life. So, when I looked for an office to open it was very important to me that I find one with a large space in which I could teach my patients simple stabilizing exercises which they could perform in the office and then perform on their own at home.

4. If I come to you in pain — headache, neck or back pain — what is the first thing that you do?

The first thing that is done is that we sit down to go over your history to get a clear picture of who you are and get clues as to why you are experiencing these symptoms. Then an exam is performed to check range of motion to see if there are any restrictions to movement as well as specific orthopedic tests. Finally I will examine your spine by gently assessing for motion. At this time, I will determine if chiropractic adjustments are appropriate in order to treat you. I will let you know what I have found, what I believe to be the cause of your symptoms and if and how I can help you. Many patients tell me that they really appreciate this portion of the initial meeting. They feel that a lot of doctors don’t give them true explanations for their symptoms. I find it is essential that my patients understand why they are in my office and what has caused their problem(s). If they don’t understand this, then how are they going to prevent it from from coming back? My goal is not to make people dependent upon me. It is to empower them to take control of their health.

5. How do you like Newton and where might we bump into you?

So far my time in Newton has been great. I moved to Newtonville 6 months ago and have to say I really love the area. I have a black lab who loves walks so I try to take him as often as I can! It’s great that there are a lot of other dog lovers in the area. I have also taken trips over to the dog park at Crystal Springs. My patients have definitely made me feel more at home here – always recommending great local hangouts and restaurants to try. My girlfriend and I enjoy going out to eat on the weekends and have found several great restaurants in the area. We are big fans of Paddy’s, The Local and the newly opened Max and Leo’s for pizza. I also love to travel and get away when possible on the weekends often heading up to Maine or visiting family in New Jersey.

Running a School Auction? Take Note!

To introduce himself to the Newton Community, Dr. Oliver would like to donate gift certificate for a massage and chiropractic consultation/examination to any school auction in Newton including preschool, public or private school. Please email him at droliverdc@gmail.com to arrange to pick up your school auction item donation.

Introductory “Meet Us!” Rate

Dr. Oliver is offering a special Introductory Rate of $49 for a 50 minute massage and chiropractic consultation/exam — normally $230. He’d love for you to come in with no strings attached and see for themselves what his office is about. And on top of that, you get a 50 minute massage!

I’ve asked Dr. Oliver to be a regular contributor to this blog. Look for future posts from him on Top 10 Ergonomic Safety Tips!

Newton Wellness Center is a an chiropractic office which is dedicated to helping you become the healthiest person possible. Besides chiropractic care and spinal rehab instruction we have an excellent massage therapist who has a lot of experience and is highly trained in treating musculoskeletal conditions.

February 15, 2012
Literacy Time with Meredith! Wednesdays 3:30-4:45 (Newton Corner)
My Mom Friend Meredith is starting Literacy Enrichment classes for 1st graders and advanced Kingergarteners. I met her in preschool and I think she’s terrific!

—————————

What is it? Literacy Time is an enrichment program for your First Grader or academically advanced Kindergartener. I will use my 8 years of experience as an elementary and preschool teacher, tutor, parent educator, and college level professor to enhance your child’s love of learning to read and write.

This is a worksheet and workbook free zone! There is no MCAS influence to contend with, although the methods used to teach reading and writing in this program will most definitely benefit your child’s future academic achievements across the curriculum. The philosophy of Literacy Time is that children learn to read and write through authentic literature experiences and ample opportunities to put pen to paper with no outside pressures. Reading and writing should be fun. Our ultimate goal as parents and teachers is to instill a love of reading and writing in each child.

What is the format? Literacy Time will be held in my bright and spacious kitchen and dining room area at 50 Playstead Road in Newton Corner. We will meet once a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The session will last for six weeks with a start date on Wednesday, January 18th and end date of Wednesday, February 29th. The time will be 3:30-4:45. There will be a maximum of 6 children in each session. (Disclaimer: Luke may or may not participate bumping the ratio to 7:1 upon my discretion, depending on the needs and dynamic of the group). All materials will be supplied. An additional session may or may not occur in March, depending on interest level and success of the program, with times, days and fees possibly varying. This session, the introductory fee will be $120 per child.

I am CPR certified and have a BS in Elementary Education and MS in Educational Psychology. I am not a stranger to you: you know my behavior and safety expectations for my own kids and the kids who visit my home. My home is pet free and smoke free.

What will my child do during Literacy Time?
- 3:30 Meeting: Each session will open with a short meeting. I will share the pen with the children as they help me fill in the afternoon message on my easel. They will be learning phonics without even knowing it in an interactive and fun way.
- 3:40 Shared Reading: Next, we will have a group Shared Reading experience using quality children’s literature and Big Books from my personal library. We will be word detectives: taking special note of interesting vocabulary, sentence structure, and punctuation. We will observe illustrations and use them to make meaning from text.
- 3:50 Writer’s Workshop: After being inspired by the book we read, the children will have an opportunity to become authors and illustrators themselves through a Writer’s Workshop. Each child will have their own folder and a nice chunk of time to write freely. I will float from child to child conferencing with them and showing them the “book way” or “grown up way” of translating their invented spellings. Together, we will pick words out of their own writing to focus on as their “Word Study” words (more explanation below). Every child will have a chance to share their writing at the end of each Writer’s Workshop. They will consider questions, comments and compliments from their peers to improve their writing during our Author’s Share portion of the session. Every child will practice their skills as a listening audience and utilize their speaking voice to learn how to make constructive suggestions to their peers.
- 4:20 Word Study: We will then turn our focus into a hands-on and sensory- based opportunity to practice the previously mentioned “Word Study” words. This is an updated and more research based approach to the traditional spelling test method. Word Study is the method being taught in the best teaching colleges today. Children will work with their “spelling words” that are meaningful to them. These are words that we picked out together from their own writing. They were words they actually needed and wanted to use during Writer’s Workshop. We will use such materials as shaving cream, corn meal, wiki stix etc. to practice our words.
- 4:40 Poems and Songs: Finally, we will wind down our session with collectively interacting with fun and seasonal poems and songs back around the easel.
How do I sign up? Please let me know if you are interested as soon as possible by emailing me at meredithandrews13@gmail.com or by calling 617-332-2752. Spaces will fill on a first come first serve basis. Checks should be made out to Meredith Andrews. Please do not send your child sick. In the event of inclement weather, we will follow the Newton Public School’s closing system and make up the session at a later date.
February 13, 2012
Newton Authors from All Time: Children’s, Young Adult and Adult (Great for Newton Book Clubs!) UPDATED

I had no idea that some of these well known authors were or currently are Newton residents. I think all of us in book clubs, both adult and child, could get some great ideas from these local authors (and I bet if you ask really nicely, you just might be able to get them to come to your book club. Personally, I have had Mitali Perkins and Karen Day come to my daughter’s book clubs and both were FABULOUS!!! And gracious, and charming, not to mention wonderful with children!!). If you are reading this and you don’t live in Newton, there is always Skype!

Feel free to leave a comment to talk about your favorite author or book below (or missing from list). I am quite sure that I have accidentally left off some Newton authors. If you know of any, please leave a comment and I’ll add to the list. If I didn’t include a particular book for an author, please leave a comment about that too. I didn’t do the entire body of work for prolific authors (it’s a prevent-carpal-tunnel-thing). Thank you!

p.s. Thank you to Capability:Mom for the assist on this post!

Click on any image of book to examine or purchase at Amazon.

Picture Books (Emilie Boon, author and illustrator)

Just Illustration (Emilie Boon, author and illustrator)

Picture Books (Virginia Lee Burton)

Children’s Non Fiction (Don Lessem)

Picture Book for Adults (Adam Mansbach, illustrated by Ricardo Cortés)

3rd-4th Grade (Mitali Perkins)

Middle Grade (Karen Day)

Children’s (Howard Zinn)

Young Adult (Mitali Perkins)

Adult (Tom Ashbrook)

Adult Science Fiction (Isaac Asimov)

Adult (Russell Banks)

Adult (Alex Beam)

Adult (Christopher Boucher)

Adult (Thomas Bulfinch)

Adult (Anita Diamant)

Adult (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Adult (Atul Gawande)

Adult (Angela Gerst)

Politics, money, love . . . what could go wrong?

Susan Callisto is pushing thirty and taking stock. Before she traded financial security at a Boston law firm for sandals and jeans in Waltham, she specialized in real estate law. Now she has reinvented herself as a political consultant for ordinary people seeking low-level office. Her income may be dicey, but Susan loves her new life—until her sometime boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Michael Benedict, dumps her without a goodbye. Not one to mope, Susan uses humor and perpetual motion to push away the pain.

Susan’s new world is one where politics can turn deadly and even love may not survive. So when local high roller Charles Renfrow offers her a huge retainer to advise his political campaign, Susan is wary. Why would a scientist stalking the human genome want to be mayor of a small Massachusetts town? Finding the answer takes Susan through a maze of toxic secrets including those floating around Renfrow’s biotech company. On her way to confront him, Susan instead finds the body of his beautiful assistant. Assigned to the case, Michael reenters Susan’s life.

When Michael’s suspicions settle on Roddie Baird, yet another, and favorite, of Susan’s clients, Susan elbows her way into the investigation. She hopes to prove Michael wrong. As she probes—and lays her own life on the line—Susan uncovers a crack in everything….

Adult (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

Adult (Nate Kenyon)

Adult (Raymond Kurzweil)

Adult (Elizabeth McCracken)

Adult (Tova Mirvis)

Adult History (Diana Muir)

Adult (Michael Novak)

Adult (Mitali Perkins)

Poet (Robert Pinsky)

Poet (Anne Sexton)

Playwright (Samuel Shem)

Adult (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Collaborative Memoirist (Andrew Szanton)

Poet and Adult (Celia Thaxter)

Adult (Catharine Utzschneider)

Adult (Ben Ames Williams)

Adult (Jonathan Wilson)

Adult (Saul Wisnia)

Adult (Howard Zinn)

p.s. Adult Medical Advice/Advocacy (Jerome Groopman)

Technically Dr. Groopman lives one town over in Brookline, but my Mom Friend Nancy works for him and raves about what a nice guy he is so I snuck him in. How Doctors Think is supposed to be a wonderful book.

To view any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

February 10, 2012
Best Tutors, Private Coaches, Music Teachers etc.

I hate to tell you how many tutors I hire for my 3 kids. It’s a little embarrassing because it’s quite a lot but I do use tutors to teach my kids things that I can not and/or to help them when they don’t want my help. I am known to do a long, investigative search to find the right match for my kids so I decided to share my Rolodex of Newton Tutors, Teachers and Coaches. I am sure there are other wonderful ones out there. Will you share? Please do by leaving a comment and I’ll update the list.

Requests for Referrals:

— My Mom Friend Melissa is seeking a Voice coach for her 6th grade daughter.

— My Mom Friend Penny is seeking a piano teacher for her 4th grade daughter.

p.s. A great source for an academic tutor: hire from a school that your child doesn’t attend. Ask your teacher for referrals!

p.p.s Here’s a post on How To: Select a Music Teacher

Best Flute Teacher: Barbara Nakazawa (Newton Highlands)

Best Classical Guitar Teacher: Dan Ascadi (Nonantum)

Best Soccer Private Coach: Ahead of the Game

Best Academic (Math but also other subjects) Peer Tutor: Lily Skerjl (email me for her info, she’s an 8th grader and she tutors my 6th grader)

Best Math or Reading Tutors for Boys: Hire teachers from Fessenden School

Best Spanish Tutor: Spanish by Martha.

Best Mandarin Chinese Tutor: Stella Pan (email me for her info, no website)

Cynthia Carpenter for Reading:

I’m a “retired” Brookline, Lexington, and Concord and New York City teacher, with 30 years experience teaching grades Pre-K through high school. In addition to having taught in elementary classrooms and as a middle and high school English teacher, I’m a certified Reading Specialist (providing consulting to teachers, direct support to students, and doing diagnostic testing.)

I have a Master’s + 70 post-grad credits in Education, Comparative Literature, and Art History, and my classrooms have served as placement sites for many student teachers. I am especially interested in multicultural teaching, received a Lowell Scholarship to study Linguistics at Harvard, and am listed as an “executive functioning” specialist on the Concord SEPAC website.

Cynthia Carpenter
(978) 952-8871

p.s. Other Guides to Newton:

Best Preschools in Newton

A Fairly Comprehensive List of Birthday Party Locations and Ideas for Kids in Newton and Boston

Best Martial Arts Schools for Kids and Adult in Newton

A Fairly Comprehensive List of After School Supplemental Math Classes in Newton

A Fairly Comprehensive List of Dance Studios in Newton

Best Gymnastics for Toddlers and Kids in Newton Area

Best Caretaker and Child Music Classes in Newton

February 8, 2012
Fun Stuff For Kids and Families Do During February Break in Boston and Newton

February vacation nears and here’s some activities and camps ideas. There are full week programs for parents who need to work that week, but there are also programs and activities with shorter time frames. Another option: sometimes if the vacation week isn’t full, they will let you do a partial week and prorate the price. What are your kids doing during this break? Please share!

Jackson Homestead and Museum, Newton

21 Tuesday, February 21, 2:00 PM
THE MA 54TH: A BLACK REGIMENT IN THE CIVIL WAR
A Vacation Week Family Program
Did you know that Massachusetts raised one of the first black regiments of the Civil War, led by a man who grew up in Newton? Come learn about their stories, and make a popular civil-war era toy to take home. Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission, snack, and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

23 Thursday, February 23, 2:00 PM
FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM
A Vacation Week Family Program
Learn about slavery in New England and what people did to fight against it. Hear stories of escapes on the Underground Railroad, and then explore our brand new, hands-on exhibit, Confronting Our Legacy: Slavery and Anti-Slavery in the North. Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission, snack, and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Evolution Sports, Norwood

February 22 and 24th for all day fun including Alien Tag, Trampoline, Manhunt Middle Earth Wrestling, Hoops Sports Yoga, Capture the Crystal Slam Dunking, Dodge Ball, Open Gym and more. It’s a day of non-competitive sports activities for kids. They have so much fun that they don’t realize that they are exercising their bodies. 10-4.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Cogan Family Foundation Vacation Week Adventures

February 20, 2012 – February 24, 2012

Beasts and Beauties
10 am–4 pm (Wed to 8 pm)

Free activities for kids all week!* Discover wild beasts and beauties in art all week long. Enjoy making art, go on a fun tour of the galleries, and see and draw live animals.
ASL interpretation provided Feb 22.

*And did you know that kids get free admission to the Museum every day? Kids 6 and under are always free, and kids 7 to 17 are free during non school hours.

Special Events

Children’s Tours, Sharf Visitor Center
Every 15 minutes from 10:15 am–Noon; ASL Interpretation Wed at 11 am and Noon
Visit the galleries in search of beasts and beauties on this kid-friendly 30-minute tour.
Story Hour, Gallery 274
10:30 am and 1:30 pm; ASL Interpretation Wed at 1:30 pm
Drop in to enjoy stories about princesses, maidens, goddesses, and more. Stay for a story or for the whole hour. Great for toddlers.
Drumlin Farms Presents, Druker Family Pavilion
11 am, 11:45 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, and 3 pm; ASL Interpretation Wed at 2:15 pm
Join naturalists from Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary to meet live animals. Learn about our local animals and environment, and before you leave, sketch the animals you’ve encountered. Sessions last 30 minutes. Space is limited to 30 visitors per session. First come, first served; pick up tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to session. Please choose one adult for your group to allow more children to attend.

Art-Making Activities

Ongoing: 10 am–4 pm (until 8 pm on Wed)

Works on Paper, Part I—Drawing, Lower Rotunda
Pick up your drawing materials and explore “Paper Zoo” in Gallery 170to sketch some of your favorite animals. Take your sketch to Part II to create a series of prints!

Works on Paper, Part II—Printmaking, Druker Family Pavilion 159
Visit the studio to turn your animal drawing into prints to take home.

Masks, Shapiro Family Courtyard
Make a cuddly—or scary—mask of your favorite animal to wear around the Museum! Afterward, go see the beautiful masks on Level LG of the Art of the Americas Wing.

Wire Sculpture, Level 3 landing, Art of Americas
Get inspired by Alexander Calder’s wire Cow. Use wire, string, paper, and glue to make your own animal sculpture.

Clay Sculpture, Workshop Studio G85
Visit our menagerie of porcelain animals in Gallery 142. Find birds and other creatures. Then go to the workshop studio and sculpt your favorite beast or beauty in clay to take home!

New Art Center, Newton

February Vacation Week for students in grades K – 5
February 21 to February 24, 2012 (4 days)

Escape with us to the island of Madagascar, off the coast of East Africa! From lemurs, giant baobab trees, and the cultural richness of the Malagasy people, to the amazing biodiversity of its wildlife; this vacation week will give us plenty of inspiration to paint, draw, sculpt and create rich, colorful pieces of art!

Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown

February Vacation Workshops
Tuesday – Friday
February 21 ,22, 23, 24

COMICS, CARTOONS & CREATIVE CREATURES
Cultivate the cartoonist within! Create your own characters and watch them come alive using drawing, painting, clay and more.
617-923-0100 x309 | www.arsenalarts.org

Weston Cross Country Skiing, Newton

Weston Ski Track is a cross-country ski and snowshoeing center located on the Leo J. Martin Golf Course and serving the Greater Boston area.

With natural snow, we groom 15km oftrails. Snowmaking on our 2km lighted loop provides consistent snow conditions and reliable night skiing. Drop in for a beginner lesson and then warm up in oursnack bar.

Newton Parks and Recreation

Family Movie Day and Night at the West Newton Cinema February 21 & 22, 2012
Special $6.00 price includes a MOVIE, POPCORN, and SODA. See The Muppets or Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. Tickets will be sold on the day of the event at the West Newton Cinema at 1296 Washington St. This is a very popular event and tickets may sell out. Ticket sales will begin at 10:00 AM for the Movie Day on Tuesday and Wednesday with movies starting at 11:00 AM. Ticket sales will begin at 4:15 PM for the Movie Night on Tuesday with movies starting at 6:15 PM.

For Children in Grades K-6 at the Newton Centre Hut February 21 – 24, 2012
It’s like summer camp in the winter. Participate in sports, arts and crafts, inside games and more. Each day features a special event including a Movie Day, Sports Party, Dance Party and Portable Planetarium. Sign up by day or for all 4 days. Standard Day 8:30–3:30 PM, extended day 8:15-5:30 PM. $45.00 per day or $160.00 for all 4 days (add $12.50/day for extended day)

For Children in Grades K-3 at Burr Park February 21 – 24, 2012
Enjoy an exciting field trip each day including Cosmic Bowling, Chuck E Cheese, CoCo Key, and Plaster Fun Time. Sports, arts and crafts, and inside games are offered before or after the field trips. Sign up by day or for all 4 days. Standard Day 8:30 AM–3:30 PM $45.00* per day or $175.00 for all 4 days *Thursdays cost is $60.00

For Children in Grades 3-6 at the Lower Falls Community Center February 21 – 24, 2012
Enjoy an exciting field trip each day including Chunky’s Cinema, Glow Golf, Amesbury Sports Park and Chuck E Cheese. Sports, arts and crafts, and inside games are offered before or after the field trips. Sign up by day or for all 4 days. Standard Day 8:30 – 3:30, extended day 8:15 – 5:30. $45.00* per day or $175.00 for all 4 days (add $12.50/day for extended day) *Thursday is $60.00

Thundercat Sports Clinic for Children Ages 7-12 February 21 – 24, 2012
Play a variety of sports including basketball, floor hockey, soccer and more all in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Located at Pelligrini Park. Be sure to bring a snack and lunch. $45.00 per day
Half Day program for ages 5 – 7 9:00 – 12:00noon $120.00 ($130.00 non residents)
Full Day program for ages 7 – 12 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM $162.00 ($170.00 non residents)

Contact Newton Parks and Recreation at 617-796-1500 or visit our website atwww.newtonma.gov/parks for more information. Register online at www.activityreg.com

JCC Kid’s Choice February School Vacation Program

Monday, Feb 20 9:00a to 4:00p

at Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, Newton, MA

Kids rule at the JCC! During the JCC Kids Choice February school vacation program, February 20-24, children in grades K-6 choose what they want to do each day. The daily choice of electives includes sports, swimming, arts and crafts, dance, drama, cooking, board games and rock wall climbing. Special activities are planned each day.

Newton Girls Soccer

Newton Girls Soccer is pleased to offer for the second year running a 4-day Soccer Skills Clinic series that will be held over February Break at Oak Hill Middle School. The Clinic is open to all NGS players in the U9-U12 age groups.

These sessions will be headed up by Newton Girls Soccer Director of Coaching, Gary Beatty. Based on the actual number of registered players, we will have the appropriate number of Assistant Coaches for each session. Please note that due to the size of the Oak Hill gym, each session will be limited to 20 players. In addition, sessions must have a minimum of 10 registered players to take place (a full refund will be offered if this minimum number is not met).

The focus of these sessions will be on individual technical skill development and small group tactical concepts. Each day, players will work on a variety of different technical elements (skills), game related exercises and small sided futsal scrimmages.

Full program details are as follows:

Dates:             Feb 21/22/23/24, 2012 (Tues-Fri)

Location:         Oak Hill Middle School, Newton – Gymnasium

Times:             U9/10 Girls – 9.00am – 11.30am
U11/12 Girls – 12.30 – 3.00pm

Cost:               $150 Click Here to Register Online

Create A Cook, Newton

We will be offering classes for Teens at 9:30am, 1:30pm and 5:30pm (with few exceptions), and for 7-11/Adult & Child at 9:30 (with few exceptions), 1pm, and 5pm. Click here to see a one page list of the classes on offer. Click here to register.

February 6, 2012
Nutrition Solutions with Health Coach Stacy Schwartz

Do you have questions about nutrition but don’t know who to ask?

Come to our 4 week nutrition solutions workshop where you will get all of your questions answered.

In this workshop you’ll learn:

. How to incorporate delicious greens into your diet.
. Tips to eat foods you enjoy and not deprive yourself.
. To understand how your lifestyle affects your cravings.
. Steps to make easy healthy meals for you and your family.

February 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th from 7:30-8:30pm

Nutritional Health Coach Stacy Schwartz will lead the seminars.

Contact: Allison Benitez at 617-458-9758 for more information and to register. You won’t want to miss this!

February 3, 2012