More 40 in 4 Updates

These two ended up going together...

6. Put my toes into the Pacific Ocean.

39a. Take the kids on a great vacation.

These two go together... we took advantage of California being a low risk state and travelled to see my brother before everything closes up and I won't be able to anymore! I mean, I'm sure eventually... but not any time soon.  I'm so glad we did go because while we were there, California's designation changed and it's now on the advisory list for Massachusetts. We got in at the last possible minute.

From splashing in the Pacific Ocean to eating burgers on outdoor patios to exploring Joshua Tree National Park, it was a truly amazing vacation (complete with masks and a whole bottle of sanitizer!)

1. Run a 5K

2. Have my palm read.
3. Weekend in the Vineyard with my family.
4. Buy a bicycle.
5. Wear a bikini to the beach, no cover up.
6. Put my toes into the Pacific Ocean.
7. Go back to Disney
8. Go to Universal Studio
9. Get a job in Higher Ed
10. See another Broadway play
11. Fit into a size 8.
12. Travel to Europe, ideally London or Rome.
13. Get another tattoo (or two).
14. Be debt free, minus student loans and mortgage.
15. Put away a 4 month emergency amount.
16. Begin working on an administrator's license or a PhD.
17. Take a photography class.
17. a. Got a nose piercing! I've been talking about it for years and finally did it as a gift to myself for my 33rd birthday!
18. Travel somewhere tropical.
19. Go camping.
20. * Get professional head shots for the blog.
20a. Get family photos done with the kids.
21. * Sew Emma a matching dress for her and her dolls
21. b. Buy a NEW new car! I've never owned a brand new vehicle but after having so many issues with our last car, we decided the extra money on a brand new car (under warranty) was smarter than any other option. 
22. * Consider selling the custom shirts I've been making for the kids...
23. Take a cooking or baking class.
24. Take a cake decorating class.
25. Go to Ireland.
26. Find a local church to belong to/Baptize Tyler.
27. Get out of the minivan.
28. Take a calligraphy class.
29. Participate in Restaurant Week in Boston or Providence.
30. Go to Disney Land.
31. Work on our kitchen: backsplash, new desk, new table...
32. Buy a jacuzzi and redo the back deck.
33. Fence in our yard.
34. Landscape.
33-34a. clean up the back yard of our new place.
35. Finish the basement.
36. Attending the NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade
37. Create a real vegetable garden for an entire season/year.
38. Spend the day at the spa, getting pampered.
38. Take a day after the quarantine and do my hair, brows, nails, and get a tan!
39. Splurge on our 10 year anniversary.
39a. Take the kids on a great vacation.
40. Save $10 for each accomplished task and spend it on something extravagant.

A 40 in 4 Update

Well I made it even farther on my 40 by 4 list.  Thanks to Covid and a pending divorce, I know a lot wont end up happening but that's not stopping me from chipping away slowly at it!

A few more things we've done:

3. Weekend in the Vineyard with my family.

So we didn't weekend but we did go for a day trip and it was so much fun! From lobster rolls and candy stores to playing at the local playground, we were masked up and loved the trip.  The kids were asking when we could go back before our ship had even left the island. 

19. Go camping.

We also went camping this summer! You can read all about it here. 

38. Take a day after the quarantine and do my hair, brows, nails, and get a tan!

This was spread over a couple days but I spent a Friday night with a friend getting my nails done (for like the 10th time in my whole life) and then had my brows waxed.  The next morning I woke up and got my hair done and then the following morning I had a super fun photo shoot with a photographer.  It was such a great confidence boost for me and I honestly loved it. 

Almost ----- I also made plans to go to Restaurant Week but a last minute change in plans squashed that. There's always next time. 

So here's where I stand now. I'm excited to see what else I can still get done in the next 4 months!

1. Run a 5K

2. Have my palm read.
3. Weekend in the Vineyard with my family.
4. Buy a bicycle.
5. Wear a bikini to the beach, no cover up.
6. Put my toes into the Pacific Ocean.
7. Go back to Disney
8. Go to Universal Studio
9. Get a job in Higher Ed
10. See another Broadway play
11. Fit into a size 8.
12. Travel to Europe, ideally London or Rome.
13. Get another tattoo (or two).
14. Be debt free, minus student loans and mortgage.
15. Put away a 4 month emergency amount.
16. Begin working on an administrator's license or a PhD.
17. Take a photography class.
17. a. Got a nose piercing! I've been talking about it for years and finally did it as a gift to myself for my 33rd birthday!
18. Travel somewhere tropical.
19. Go camping.
20. * Get professional head shots for the blog.
20a. Get family photos done with the kids.
21. * Sew Emma a matching dress for her and her dolls
21. b. Buy a NEW new car! I've never owned a brand new vehicle but after having so many issues with our last car, we decided the extra money on a brand new car (under warranty) was smarter than any other option. 
22. * Consider selling the custom shirts I've been making for the kids...
22.
23. Take a cooking or baking class.
24. Take a cake decorating class.
25. Go to Ireland.
26. Find a local church to belong to/Baptize Tyler.
27. Get out of the minivan.
28. Take a calligraphy class.
29. Participate in Restaurant Week in Boston or Providence.
30. Go to Disney Land.
31. Work on our kitchen: backsplash, new desk, new table...
32. Buy a jacuzzi and redo the back deck.
33. Fence in our yard.
34. Landscape.
33-34a. clean up the back yard of our new place.
35. Finish the basement.
36. Attending the NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade
37. Create a real vegetable garden for an entire season/year.
38. Spend the day at the spa, getting pampered.
38. Take a day after the quarantine and do my hair, brows, nails, and get a tan!
39. Splurge on our 10 year anniversary.
39a. Take the kids on a great vacation.
40. Save $10 for each accomplished task and spend it on something extravagant.

Soccer

 Hooray for safe sports again! It's been so hard with Covid and when the town announced their soccer program was coming back, we jumped at it.

Masks are required, smaller teams, and lots of sanitizer! I am so happy that the town was able to offer it in a safe way.

I really hope he wants to try baseball in the Spring, but Fall will always belong to the soccer field! 

xo, Heather

Boston Lights at Franklin Park Zoo

Did you see the Boston Lights exhibit at Franklin Park Zoo?

I'm still constantly on the look out for fun things I can do with my children, while being safe and socially distanced. Things that have pre-purchased timed tickets are our go-to lately, being sure that we are taking as many precautions while still having fun, and the Boston Lights exhibit at Franklin Park Zoo looked like so much fun!

We had a 5:30 pm reservation so it wasn't completely dark but we could still see how amazing the LED lanterns look.

Each exhibit is cooler than the last.  They especially loved the 60 foot walk through shark and the wings!

Boston Lights at Franklin Park Zoo is sold out for the season but you can check it all out at Zoo Lights at Stone Zoo from Novermber 27- January 3. 

xo, Heather

The Naonet Trails in Dover, Ma

Staying busy during quarantine has been challenging but we have taken so many walks and hikes so we're staying busy. We recently discovered we live so close to Noanet Woodlands and went for a hike to the Peak to see what we could.

Halfway through the walk, we found a beautiful old mill. 

Emmalee was especially fond of the names carved into the tree, until she learned that it hurts the tree.

From the peak, we could see all the way to Boston!

It's a great hike and the incline really makes you work for it, but the view at the top is gorgeous. 

For ease, we park at the Caryl Park Playground on Dedham St in Dover, which is free parking and the trails are free to walk! Go enjoy!

xo, Heather

Camping at KOA

I guess summer is officially over.  I've been prepping my class lists and spending time writing lesson plans, so it's that time.

For the past couple years, I've tried to make the last weekend of summer something special because, as a teacher, I go from spending all summer with them to being so busy in the Fall.  Add in all the extra time I've been home with them because of Covid, and I know it's going to be extra hard to go back to work this year.

Because traveling to Disney World (our usual destination) is out of the question right now, we opted for something closer.   

Emma has been asking to go camping for a couple summers now (so much so that it made it onto the 40 in 4 list!) and I decided it was finally time. With it getting chilly and it being their first time I decided that renting a cabin at the Boston/Cape Cod KOA in Middleboro was our best choice.  

The cabin was perfect for us.  It had one double bed and a set of bunk beds, as well as a small table.  We cheated a bit because it had a small heater and electric outlets, but we still had to go use the restroom building and cook on the fire! It was the perfect first time for us!

 

We loved all the extras that the campground offered to us.  Even with Covid restrictions, we were able to play on the swing sets, do tie-dye, play mini golf, and go swimming in the pool!

We had such a great time camping that the kids have already asked to go back (and I've started looking at trailers!) I'm so happy that we were able to continue to make memories even in the time of Covid, and were able to mark another thing off the 40 by 4 list!

Check out the Boston / Cape Cod KOA for a really great family weekend!

xo, Heather

 

Castle Island Boston MA

In our attempts to find the ocean near our new house, we made plans to meet a friend at Castle Island in Boston.

The beach has free parking, paved walking trails and historical sites to wander through.  The kids love the playground.

The water is warm since it's in the harbor and was perfect on the hot day.  After swimming, we stopped and grabbed some snacks from Sullivans. There is literally nothing better than a lobster roll on the beach in the middle of the summer and Sullivan's rolls are extra good. 

 

A quick trip to the ice cream truck rounded out our perfect summer day!

Castle Island is located at 2010 William J Day Blvd, Boston, MA 02127.

xo, Heather

Radisson Inn Charlestown MA

Emma has been obsessed with the American Revolution after learning about it in school this year so we opted for a girls' weekend in Boston.  (Read all about it here!)

I knew I wanted to spend the night with her and really make it special. We booked a night at the Radisson Inn in Charlestown, right next to the water.

Our room wasn't even really a room, it wa sa small suite, complete with a kitchen and living room.  The bedroom offered a King sized bed, while the living room had a pull out sofa.

Other than the kitchen, Emmalee's favorite part was the huge mirror and vanity counter located outside of the toilet and shower room. When your girl is obsessed with make up, this is a slice of heaven.

The Radisson offered a complimentary, covid-safe grab and go breakfast that was perfect for tossing in our bags as we headed out for our adventures. 

The hotel was clean and Covid-safe, with policies being enforced to keep guests healthy. It's location was perfect for our walk through the city and she's already asking when we can go back again!

xo, Heather

The Freedom Trail Boston

After spending this school year learning about the American Revolution, my 9 year old was so excited about the history of our state. I decided a girls weekend in Boston, with a walk down the Freedom Trail would be perfect for the two of us. 

I vetted hotels and settled on the Raddison Inn in Charlestown.  I liked their policies with social distancing and you can read all about our overnight here. We checked in and went off to discover the Freedom Trail.

The trail itself is 2.5 miles of mostly flat terrain.  There are cobblestones which can make some of the walking a bit more difficult but there are very few hills.

A walk through the city would not be complete with out a stop in the Sephora at Fanueil Hall and Mike's Pastry in the North End. 

The trail itself walks you through the historical sites in Boston.

The trail itself starts in the Boston Commons, but head across the way to see the rest of the Commons; they are beautiful. I especially love the Make Way for Ducklings statue. 

Walking the trail itself is free, but since you're walking through the city you can stop in an out of stores for shopping or food. We spent all day walking the trail, stopping for lemonade and pretzels in the common, lunch at Quincy Market and getting dinner at the Warren Tavern.  Staying overnight at the Radisson Inn made it extra special, but you could do it as a quick walk or spend the whole weekend doing it. 

I can't recommend the trail, and learning about our local history, enough.

xo, Heather