Writing

By Trish • March 1st, 2015

Aerial Yoga Takes off in Massachusetts Published in baystateparent magazine I enter the room at Ebb n’ Flow Yoga, where the colorful silk hammocks hang from the ceiling, inviting me to sink into one and try out a new yoga practice that is taking flight around Massachusetts and the world. I can’t wait. Honestly? I am not a yogi seeking the next stage of enlightenment. I’m just a regular mom with a lot of responsibilities, a woman who provides support to others ..read more

Published in baystateparent magazine When Jane Lizotte of Shrewsbury begins her Thanksgiving morning, she won’t be in the kitchen preparing a turkey. Instead, the Shrewsbury Middle School principal will be preparing for the Turkey Trot for the Memory, a community race started by Lizotte and her family in memory of Lizotte’s late father and Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Francis P. O’Connor. Now in its fourth year, Trot for the Memory 5-miler and 2-mile fun run raises funds for the Alzheimer’s Association ..read more

Butterfly Gardens in Massachusetts show kids metamorphic magic up close Published in baystateparent magazine Who isn’t amazed at the captivating beauty of a butterfly, or the unique metamorphosis that transforms a caterpillar into a graceful and gorgeous winged insect? While you don’t have to travel much farther than your backyard to spy New England butterflies, there are opportunities for your child to learn about and see a variety of both local and tropical species up close at ..read more

Award-winning children’s book author Rose Lewis writes from the heart Published in baystateparent magazine When Rose Lewis traveled to China to meet her 7 1/2-month-old adoptive daughter Ming in 1996, she was excited and apprehensive. It was the culmination of a nine- month adoption process, a journey into parenting that Rose, an older single woman, had determined to embark upon. She knew that adopting a child from another country was, in her words, “a leap of ..read more

Worcester Art Museums’s new collection spans the ages – for all ages Published in baystateparent magazine The new Knights! exhibit at the Worcester Art Museum heralds in a new, fresh approach to the beloved medieval collection of arms and armor acquired from the Higgins Armory Museum, which closed its ornamental doors at the end of 2014. While the collection is the same, the context in which it is presented is very different: arms and armor are paired with ..read more

Published in baystateparent Magazine Walk through the doors of Whole Children in Hadley, Massachusetts, and you will discover much more than special needs kids practicing martial arts, playing Pokémon, or acting onstage. You will discover a place where children of all abilities not only thrive as learners and doers of recreational and social skills, but also are accepted for the unique people they are, and encouraged to be all that they can be. “There’s a sense of joy and lightness ..read more

Published in baystateparent magazine Most of us grew up with the USDA’s food pyramid: a visual manmade wonder to guide us toward making healthy food choices. We were taught we could obtain the pinnacle of health by eating just the right number of servings from various food groups, without more than a nod towards the shape-shifting nature of the pyramid’s groups over the years, or the source of our food itself. Parenting brings with it a whole new dimension to how ..read more

The Women’s Running Boom – and how it is making moms healthier and happier Published in baystateparent magazine When Susan Smith of Westborough, MA decided to try running as an alternative to her gym workouts in the Spring of 2011, she wasn’t sure what to expect. The fitness director at her gym had been taking a group of women out for short runs to introduce them to the sport. “One day, I said, ‘What the heck, I’m just going to go ..read more

Parents of driving teens: take heart. While Massachusetts is notorious for its aggressive drivers, apparently it is one of the “safest” states in the country in terms of teen driving fatalities. Who knew? According to a recent study by Erie Insurance, Massachusetts’ rate of fatal teen car crashes falls 22 percent below the national rate of 11.3 deaths per 100,000 people. In fact, the “safest” five states (those reporting the lowest deaths per 100,000 people) were all on the Eastern seaboard: New Jersey, ..read more

Published in baystateparent  Magazine When I hear about skyrocketing healthcare costs, I can’t help but wonder if part of the problem is that people are visiting doctors more often these days for more ailments, just because they want their money’s worth out of their insurance deduction. And once they see a doctor, they inevitably get referred to a specialist for further evaluation. You can’t go into a doctor’s office healthy and come out healthy. Inevitably, they’ll find something. I know. I ..read more