Trish

Simple Tips for Simply Fun Birthday Parties Does the thought of planning your child’s next birthday party make you want to celebrate or break out on a cold sweat? Children’s birthday celebrations can easily balloon out of control. Parties are big business, where the birthday guest list often includes Chuck E. Cheese. As kid’s parties get bigger, so do complications, expenses and stress. Your child’s next birthday party shouldn’t require a lot of fuss to be a lot of fun. Here are ..read more

Published in baystateparent magazine In December 2009, Britney Gengel, 19, of Rutland MA, was home on winter break from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Brit was excited about her upcoming school mission trip, “Journey of Hope to Haiti” with international relief organization Food for the Poor. Britney told her parents that she was thinking about changing her major from Communications to Human Services. “The three of us talked, heart-to-heart,” Britney’s mom Cherylann recalls. “We said, ‘Brit, you’ll know, when you come ..read more

I recently gained illicit possession of something that’s never before been seen outside the kitchen of the Original Emeril’s Restaurant in New Orleans, and I just can’t keep it secret. It’s too good to be true! It’s better than knowing what’s in Emeril’s Essence, or cracking Emeril’s confidential Cajun or Creole creations. It’s Emeril’s 15 Commandments for Excellent Customer Service. Oh, it’s hot. Spicy hot. For all us foodies out there who know first-hand how bad service can spoil the best ..read more

Two years ago, I coached a group of over two dozen new runners to complete their first 5K.  The idea came after I wrote an article for baystateparent magazine called “You Are a Runner!”  I wrote the article to inspire women and men to consider running as a way to acheive their fitness goals. But I know from experience that it can be frustrating to get motivated by reading an article but then not know where to start. So we decided ..read more

As a mom of four, I have planned, plotted and put on literally dozens of birthday parties over the years. Almost all of them have been hosted at the best party place in town – our backyard. We’ve had Thomas the Tank Engine parties. We’ve had Elmo parties. We’ve had a Cinderella ball. We’ve had Star Wars parties, from Return of the Jedi to A New Hope. Our backyard has morphed from the Aussie Outback to the Wild Wild West with ..read more

“MAGIC Man” George Chmiel Runs Ultras to Raise Funds and Awareness of Children’s Growth Disorders Published in baystateparent magazine First-place winner: Human Interest, NENPA 2010 Awards It was a hurting wrist that got 29-year-old Boston resident George Chmiel running three years ago, trying to find a way to overcome the setback of a torn ligament from playing pickup football. But it was a hurting little girl, suffering from a rare, life-threatening growth disorder that got him ultramarathoning for a cause. Luci Horvath, (age 3) ..read more

George Chmiel Goes the Extra 155 Miles for Children’s Growth Disorders Video credit; Chris Lusher with permission from RacingThePlanet Ltd: George Chmiel’s Aussie Adventure I’ve met a lot of contagiously crazy, enthusiastically energetic, over-the-top inspirational people in my running circles, but I have to say that George Chmiel beats them all. George blows away any idea of self-imposed physical limits. “Just say no” is not a phrase in his vocabulary. His can-do mindset is mind boggling. And his compassion for ..read more

Published in the Metrowest Daily News and the Westborough News It’s the holy grail. The brass ring. The oldest, the notorious, the elite, the famed. The magical, mythical Boston Marathon. And I was running it. Just saying “I’m training for the Boston Marathon,” gave me a smug, self-satisfied feeling. I won’t lie. No matter that I was a charity runner, had the flabby breasts-tummy-thigh-thing going from bearing three children in five years. I dreamed of that moment in April when I ..read more

Author Jeff Kinney Talks about Wimpy Kids, the Kinney Family Published in baystateparent Magazine, Memphis Parent and Baton Rouge Parent While famed Wimpy Kid character Greg Heffley is always scheming ways to notch up his popularity at middle school, his creator Jeff Kinney of Plainville, MA is having no trouble getting noticed these days. Jeff’s wildly popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series have consistency topped the New York Times Bestseller list for children’s books. In 2009, Kinney ..read more

Watch the 2010 New Bedford Race Video Some runners choose their races based on distance. Or notoriety. Or the terrain, the location, the cause, or maybe the color of the T-shirts. I didn’t choose to run New Bedford for any of these reasons. I chose it because it was an official “Boston Marathon” team run for our Alzheimer’s Run for the Memory team. I also signed up because I checked the weather on my iPhone and ..read more