Tag Archives: canobie lake park

Scenes from Saturday + Canobie Close Out

Before yesterday, thinking about a bright, sunny Labor Day Saturday spent at an amusement park filled me with… a certain kind of sweaty dread.

But also a realization. Summer is over. My sabbatical is almost over. These swaths of free time where the kids are stuck with me are almost over.

Maybe a Saturday at an amusement park with family and friends isn’t something that should fill me with apprehension.

If there is anyone who deserves my best behavior, or my biggest smile, or c’est la vie attitude, it’s them. If there is anyone I should muster patience and energy for, it’s them.

But if they think they’re getting Dippin’ Dots after 5 pm before we have dinner…

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Scenes from Saturday + Lakes & Lines

Reading the last line from Longfellow’s poem “A Psalm of Life” it occurred to me that he could have been talking about parenting:

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Labor and wait. Like planting a vegetable gardening. Or parenting a teenager.

Yesterday’s labor involved water slides and roller coasters.

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Scenes from Saturday + Slides & Rides

Cecilia has been chafing at her bedtime recently. She also thinks it’s strange that both her parents go to bed so early. She wasn’t shy with her opinions but I was ready for this one!

Every parent quickly learns the importance of sleep. The kids are always a mess if they don’t get enough sleep. But so are the parents.

I’m a mess. I’m grouchy. I need a nap by 9 a.m. Who catches the brunt of that? Okay, Michelle first, but then the girls.

“I don’t want to be a hypocrite and I want to be a better Dad so I go to bed early.”

She didn’t have a quick answer for that one and she tucked me right in.

The news this week has been tough and now we are finishing with a hurricane. I hope everyone’s taking care of themselves, including getting some sleep. Everyone will benefit. Continue Reading

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12 Survival Tips for a Summer Visit to Canobie Lake Park

12 Survival Tips for a Summer Visit to Canobie Lake Park

We had vacations at the beginning and the end of summer but that middle part yawned hot and humid with little for the kids to look forward to other than going to the pool or not doing more math homework. Last week we decided on a midsummer surprise trip and headed up to New Hampshire and check out Canobie Lake Park, a regional amusement and water park about an hour north of Boston.

Despite being very sunny and very hot, the whole family had a great time. The park was small enough to be easily covered in a day. It was also clean, very family friendly, and the staff were polite and accommodating. This is a great choice for a family that doesn’t want the expense and big thrill rides of someplace like Six Flags but might have outgrown toddler-centric places like Storyland or Edaville. Continue Reading

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Scenes from Saturday + Dippin’ Dots & Dole Whips

In Massachusetts, on summer weekends, you are one of two people. You flee south to the Cape and islands or you head north to the lakes and mountains. In the past, we have always been southern people but on this particular Saturday day we threw caution to the wind, cast off traditions, and headed toward the border determined to live free or die.

Or, at the very least, survive a day at Canobie Lake Park. Continue Reading

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