Boston Weekend. Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day  weekend is a perfect “calendar” excuse to spend time with the moms in our lives (not that we need an excuse to do it – but there is nothing wrong with using one for everybody’s benefit and enjoyment!)  The possibilities in our town this weekend (and pretty much any weekend) are endless, and many fun things are also free.  For starters, take her for a walk in Boston’s Arboretum – it happens to be an annual  Lilac Sunday celebration there on May 10^th, with public tours, kids activities, and of course one of the world’s most significant collections of lilacs (note traffic and parking information on their website).  

I am taking my mom to a cooking class in local Whole Foods store in Dedham (check out this month’s class selection here).  I wrote about attending some classes in Whole Food’s Cooking Center not long ago here .  At $10-$15 a person for a 1.5 hour class, it is difficult to beat their price to quality ratio.  (For a more elaborate 3-4 hour affair at $150-$170 for two , check out recreational program calendar at the Cambridge Culinary Arts Institute.)

My daughter and I are marking the Day by doing a private yoga class together- with our teacher Kathy (contact me if you are interested in more information).

And my teenage son and I will have our “quality” time at the Boston Theater Marathon XVII (presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre) at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts (527 Tremont Street) on May 9 and 10. On Sunday May 10, 50 ten-minute plays (by 51 New England playwrights, produced by 50 New England theatres) will be presented over the course of ten hours (12-10pm, come and go as you please). This link has a running order of plays and you may get your tickets here (or call 617-933-8600).   All-day passes are $25 in advance (or $35 at the door).  The “warm up” Laps and One-Minute sprints on Saturday May 9^th (held in the BCA’s Plaza Theatre on 539 Tremont St.) are free and open to the public. For a full schedule of Warm-Up Laps and One-Minute Sprints, click here.

I am not a big fan of Mother’s Day brunches (too much food, if I may say so) but if I were to choose one it would be a Mother’s Day Brunch at my favorite Beehive (open 9:30 AM – 1:00 AM on May 10^th). As always, there will be live music all day culminating in a performance by Bruce Bears’ Blues Ensemble 7pm-11pm.

And here are my mom, myself and my daughter celebrating last year’s Mother’s day at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston – another Mother’s Day choice you cannot go wrong with.