‘Twas The Night Before King Richard’s Faire But What Could We Possibly Wear?!
By: Meghan ​

Our family began going to King Richard’s Faire when my daughter’s were 5 and 3. Now that they are 9 and 7, going to the Faire has become a Fall tradition. As soon as school starts the girls begin asking when we’re going to the Faire? It’s never soon enough for them. They love how it feels as though you have truly traveled in time when you enter through the Carvershire gates. There is an assortment of sights and smells that bring them so much joy and excitement. We had this year’s visit last weekend, and it did not disappoint! This is the last weekend of King Richard’s Faire in Carver and you should go!! It’s so much fun and there is nothing else like it happening near here the rest of the year, so if you can go, do it!​

​I made the easiest cape ever which was super fast to whip up and all I needed was:

• One sheet (any size will do)
  
• Sewing machine with thread (but you could also hand stitch it if needed)
  
• Pin to hold the cape together at the neck
  

Rain from liveabout.com made a fantastic tutorial that you can find here:
https://www.liveabout.com/how-to-make-a-cape-1106051
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After a night (and a few early morning hours) of work, we had costumes! We were ready to go to the Faire!

If that all seems like too much, you’re in luck because you can still have a costume to wear at the Faire thanks to the lovely artisans at Seams Like A Dream where you can rent costumes for as little as $10 –up to $65. More info here:

https://kingrichardsfaire.net/costume-rental/
and here:
https://www.facebook.com/seamslikeadreamcostumes/

Each year I wonder if the Faire will be able to top our previous year’s visit but it always does!

By: Meghan ​
It’s almost April vacation and if you’re anything like me (i.e. you don’t have an exotic vacation coming
up), you are just now starting to plan for it. Well, I have a fun suggestion for a day trip to fill one of your
upcoming vacation days. Recently my girls and I discovered Beantown – no, not Boston – this Beantown is actually in Reading inside of … Jordan’s Furniture and is called BeanStalk Adventure Ropes Course. I have been sadly uneducated in the amazing offering that reside within Jordan’s Furniture. I always thought the only thing to be found there was, well, furniture. I was WRONG! Look at this place!

After our time was up on the course, we retired to Fuddruckers restaurant which is also right there at Beantown. So awesome! Did you know they have the World’s Greatest Hamburger? Well they say they do and we all thought so too. The kids also really liked the milkshakes! ​

After all that dancing we then got some yummy Sundays at Richardson’s Ice Cream Shop which is right next to the fountains inside the giant jelly bean banana split sundae. Yum!
There is one more cool feature that we didn’t get to experience, which is an 8 story Imax 3-D theater. It was showing a grown-up movie at the time, so we didn’t visit it, but if it was showing something else, how cool would that be to add in to the day?!
We were exhausted by the time we were done, luckily it was an easy drive back home to the Cape and it was such a fun, unexpected adventure. Our trip definitely made me excited to discover more awesome day trips we can do over vacation – stay tuned!
What do you have lined up for vacation? Any favorite day-trips that you recommend? Share for me and the other parents looking to fill our staycation or just our weekends. Thanks!

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By: Meghan 
​
One of the great joys of being a parent is seeing the world with the fresh perspective of your children’s vision. Things that were dull before become vibrant as they experience them for the first time. Holidays become sparklier, colors become brighter, trips become adventures. One of my favorite adventures that we take as a family is our annual time travel to King Richard’s Faire in Carvershire (Carver to those of us that live in the 21st century). 

Though the journey takes us back historically nearly 500 years, the easy drive from the Lower Cape is less than an hour.  This year’s visit was special because we introduced dear friends to the Faire and got to watch as they experienced the magic of the Faire for the first time. All summer my kids shared their excitement with their friends and by the time fall rolled around, they were on board for joining us on our visit this year. 

My kiddos are 5 and 7 and they LOVE the Faire. Beginning in July, they start asking if it’s time to go and begin planning their outfits. Yes, we dress up. All of us (stop laughing!).

It truly adds to the experience, bringing you into the realm as you interact in your role with the actual performers. It’s so fun for me … I mean the kids, yes the kids. 

We were lucky enough to be there for the opening ceremony this year, which is truly a treat. The King, Queen, and various other Royals and court members welcomed the crowd, introducing the characters and storyline that would be woven through the day. As the crowd moved in the Washing Well Wenches hung over the railing saying hello to handsome fellows and requesting cartwheels from men in kilts. My kids were thrilled to be met inside the village by the King, Queen, and the King’s mother. They curtsied beautifully and charmed the royal family with their princess manners.

My favorite moment of the day may have been when our 8-year-old friend stood staring in amazement at the Faire’s village and said “I never imagined it like this. It’s like someone took Chatham back to the middle ages!”

 There were several new acts this year that were truly wonderful! One of those was a fantastic new show at the Dance Stage which is set up among the picnic tables near the food stands. There were huge red strands of silk fabric hanging from the sky above the stage. As we sat eating our huge turkey legs we were thrilled to find out why – the aerial silk show Draiku began performing beautiful aerial acrobatics that took our breath away! The new Big Cat Show is a huge improvement over years past with a lot of educational

The jousting tournament was again amazing with gorgeous horses and talented knights showing their yeomanly skills. We love cheering for Sir Jeffrey and always sit in his section of the jousting field. 
After the afternoon’s jousting match it was time to visit the artisans of the realm. My kids have become enamored of dragon pets that they can only find at the Faire. Every year they add to their growing family and buy a dragon each. It is their special remembrance to get them through until the next year’s trip. Apparently they’re good for snuggling too. 

 It was another wonderful trip back in time and clearly I enjoyed it, but this year I decided that it was time to let my kids have a turn sharing their thoughts about King Richard’s Faire. So fair readers, here is an interview with my tiny time travelers Fiona (7) and Coco (5):

1.) Girls, how do you know that it’s time to go to King Richard’s Faire?

Coco: Because you just know!

Fiona: Because it’s fall and then we get our costumes and then we get our tickets!

2.) How many years have you two gone to King Richard’s Faire?

Coco: 3 years

3.)Can you think back to the first year we went and tell me what you thought it was going to be like? 
Fiona:  I didn’t know actually. I just thought it was someplace kingly and queenly and witchy. 

Coco: I thought it would be like it is

4.) What is your favorite memory about King Richard’s Faire?

Coco and Fiona: Getting our first dragons!

5.) Why do you want to go back to King Richards Faire?

Fiona: Because it’s really awesome!

Coco: Because it’s really nice!

6.) What makes it awesome and nice?

Coco: Because the whole thing is nice, I can’t describe it.

Fiona: It’s nice in a way that people want to go every year once they try it. If they go this year they’ll probably go again next year.

7.) What is the craziest thing you’ve seen at King Richard’s Faire? 

​Fiona: The tournament! PS – don’t be scared about what I’m about to tell you, but there is a bit of violence in the tournament. 

Coco: Yeah, it was crazy when the King said the tournament would be to the death. Yech.
(Mom note: There are three tournaments and they get progressively more intense, the 3rd joust is mortal combat. We have actually never attended that one as my kids are pretty sensitive.)

8.) What was you favorite thing about the Faire this year?

Fiona: The dragons!

9.) How did it feel to meet the king?

Fiona: Kind of weird an kind of nice and kind of freaky, because he’s a king and I never met a king before. 

10.) What was your favorite show this year? 

Fiona: The tournament

Coco: The cat show

11.) What was your favorite ride?

Fiona: The jousting horse ride, I actually speared the little ring out of the dragon’s mouth when I went riding down on the horse! 

Coco: The swan swing, it went so high and I almost fainted!

12.) Did you eat any food?

Coco: I ate at the kings feast, we had a giant ice cream

13.) What did you think about the acrobats on the silk 

Fiona: Cool but scary! 

Coco: I don’t think I could do that!

14.) What about the guy on the tight rope?

Fiona: He walked on it with high heels on! I don’t know how he walked on there!

Coco: I was freaked out for him!

15.) Did you see any interesting characters

Fiona: The Laundry Monster

Coco: The king’s mother was there this year!
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Fiona: I met Tree Fairies too and they can’t talk to grown ups but they did talk to me!
​

16.) Anything else people should know?

​Coco: The horses are pretty!

17.) Would you go back?Fiona: Yes!
Coco: Even if we couldn’t bring our cat we’ll still go back!

So there you go! King Richard’s Faire is the place to be! The Faire runs weekends through October 25th in Carver. Check out more information at www.kingrichardsfaire.net. Huzzah! 

After I wrote my review last year, I did not anticipate how large the Faire would loom in their memories and how important that experience was to them. One of the wonderful aspects of being a parent is seeing the world from their perspective, and as they shared their memories and opinions about the Faire over the course of the year, I began to see King Richard’s Faire from their point of view. As they began to see signs for the Faire and repeatedly asked to return, I knew we would once again be going to “Carvershire.”  (picture courtesy of King Richard’s Faire).

I was curious to see if it would have the same effect on them now that they are another year older and my big girl especially is moving farther and farther away from magical thinking. However, as we walked through the gates and we were greeted by “whale spit” bubbles practically as large as they; the magic began to take hold. 

We spent the first hour walking around the grounds and taking in all the sights. And what sights there were! Princesses, fairies, lords and ladies, the king and queen themselves. There were warriors and knights, elves and jesters. We use this time to identify all the rides and games we may want to participate in and also start looking at the amazing wares for sale by the artisans. The girls are allowed to pick a certain number of rides and this time allows them to begin the decision making process on what rides/games they will do. 

We all love the jousts, they are truly the top attraction for our family, and my youngest has a special place in her heart for Sir Jeffery, drawing this picture after we had returned home. There he is, Sir Jeffrey and his happy horse.

After seeing the King’s Tournament we began taking in the shows and riding on the rides. There is just so much to do and see, I can understand why some people make this a two day affair. My girls were kind enough to rank the shows from their perspective and these are their top three shows:

TOP 3 SHOWS FOR KIDS BY FIONA AND COCO

1.       The Tale of The Tiger – Big Cat Show – this one ranks at the top of the list for them because they are real deal cat lovers (with an allergic dad, so no kitties at home) and these larger than life cats were amazing to see up close. Also, the girls were so excited that there was a young Liger in the show this year. One of the few disappointments last year was that the Liger was not well enough to travel. The cubs were ridiculously adorable!

2.       Vicious and Delicious – These two charming young acrobats put on such a great show that we had to stop and watch them whenever my girls caught sight of their act. Juggling, acrobatics, humor, contortionism, among other excitement kept the girls enthralled.

3.       Paolo Garbanzo – the fire breather and juggler, Coco said “that’s not safe mom” but they also couldn’t believe their eyes! He is an award winning entertainer and puts on a great show!

1.       Washing Well Wenches – These bawdy ladies have been a staple of the Faire for awhile now and it’s easy to see why. Their raucous humor and raunchy jokes are fun and great for grown-ups. Not for the kiddie crowd though as noted in the flyer you receive on entry, which identifies shows that are PG-13 or R so you don’t inadvertently expose the kiddos to topics they’re not quite ready for. Don’t sit in the front row though unless you’re looking to cool off, you’ll definitely end up with a good soaking!

2.       The Mud Show – This is another great show for the grown-ups, very silly and good fun with lots of laughter and audience participation. Physical humor such as muddy face plants and a finale where one of the performers has to actually eat mud kept the audience involved and hysterical. Watch out for muddy smooches from the “sturdy beggars”! 

3.       Jacques Ze Whipper – You may remember from last year my, ahem, enjoyment of this performer. Jacques puts on a great show with his whip skills and his personality adds to the fun (think Pepe Le Peu). He has a flaming whip people! 

A quick note on the shows, all of the performers ask for tips afterwards and though they’re certainly not required a small tip is a nice way to show your enjoyment of their skills and hard work as well as a great way for the kids to meet their favored performers and say thanks.

Between shows we went to the gaming glen where you can find games of skills and man-powered rides. The games included archery, throwing knives, canon shooting, and other games that you certainly won’t find at any typical carnival. The girls forego the games though to use their allotted money for the rides. The rides are just great and a real taste of history for them. They are all operated by people pushing them or by ropes and pulleys or other simple mechanical systems that the kids are likely learning about in school. They are fun to ride and let the kids feel like they were enjoying experiences that kids in the Renaissance would have enjoyed as well.

We all enjoyed a ride on the Nina (next to her sister ships, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, quite appropriate for Columbus Day weekend) and used our rope pulleys to swing higher and higher. 

Coco loved riding on the pony (no really, she did)! And yes, she is dressed up like a cat. They had those in the Renaissance too, right?

Fiona loved the Jacob’s Ladders which look simple but were twisting and twirling and, as far as I could tell, impossible to climb to the top.

All the rides are an additional cost around $2-4/ride, which brings me to an important point about the Faire, there are a lot of additional costs. The food, the rides, the tips, the souvenirs, it all adds up and you could easily spend a fortune. To avoid this we make a clear budget and share it with the girls in this way: this is what we are spending on food (this means you can get one snack and one treat), this is what we are spending on rides (that equals this specific number of rides), you can each get one small item at the end of the day to take home. Additionally we knew to bring change and dollar bills for tips during the day.

All of this is discussed beforehand with the kiddos so that there are no surprises and they can put thought into their choices while at the Faire. We eat a big lunch before we arrive and spend the food money on an afternoon snack and a treat. Which for me was hard cider served in a glass with sugar and cinnamon on the rim – why did I never think to do that?! It’s delicious!! While we are walking around we identify all the ride options and they can start narrowing down their choices. We also look at all the items that are for sale and they can think about their choice throughout the day. This preparation keeps the Faire affordable for us and reduces the likelihood of meltdowns throughout the day. I was shocked when this method worked last year and that it worked again this year, but miracles happen and we’ll keep using it until it stops working. 

There are gluten free, lactose free, and vegan food choices at the Faire, which is awesome and so helpful for food allergy families! But there are still lots of nuts around, “The King’s Nuts” are one of their big sellers, so if your kiddo has a nut allergy this is not the place to bring them. Maybe in future years the Faire will consider this and make it a safe environment, but as of this year that’s not the case. I saw the “king’s nuts” littered around the jousting area and I was sad that we would not be able to recommend the Faire to our Cape Cod Moms that have family members with nut allergies. I hope this changes because it seems short sighted to cut out an entire section of customers just to continue selling the “king’s nuts.”  

In any case, back to our adventure. This year the girls chose not to attend Princess Academy and Knight School, but they give them their strongest recommendation – “Do it, you have to do the schools!”  These schools are so fun for the kids and the kids get to meet the King, the Queen, the Princesses, and the knights. It is a great, interactive experience for the kids and they also get to go out onto the jousting field. These schools are held in the Kids’ Cove which is an enclosed area for families. In addition to these interactive activities, there are also quiet, individual activities kids can do if they need a bit of a break from so much going on around them. There is also a few little nooks in there that are good for solo hiding time for those kiddos that just need a break in the middle of all of the festivities.

The vendors were again amazing, the amount of work and skill that these people have is really remarkable. The girls both chose to buy dragons from Dragon Pets, a wonderful vendor who goes above and beyond for their customers. 

This is the final weekend of the Faire for the 2014 season. I hope you and your kiddos go and have a fantastic time! We will certainly be back to see what’s new in Carvershire in 2015!

For planning purposes:

The Faire is at 235 Main Street (Route 58) in Carver, MA

Pets and outside food and drinks are not allowed on Faire grounds

You can find more info about King Richard’s Faire at www.kingrichardsfaire.net or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

By: Meghan
Though I am lucky enough to call Cape Cod home these days, I was born in Providence and lived in Rhode Island until I was five. One of my earliest memories is of my uncle buying me a Del’s Lemonade at Roger Williams Park Zoo. I can still taste the cool lemon and remember the excitement at being with my very cool uncle and the amazement I felt at seeing so many animals. I’ve been looking forward to sharing a similar experience with my little ones and had been planning on taking them to Roger Williams Park Zoo all summer. The weeks went by and summer has flown, it is nearly the first week of school, and we still haven’t been to the zoo! It’s a zoo emergency! So this past weekend I decided to make it a priority and I’m so glad that I did! What an adventure we had. 

If you’ve been to the zoo previously, but haven’t been there in the past year you are in for a surprise! Donors such as Alex and Ani, Hasbro, CVS Caremark, Citizens Bank, and many others have given generous funding to update large portions of the zoo. It was such a treat to experience the upgrades that these donations have made possible! This year the zoo also offered special activities that are only available during the spring and summer. These activities end September 1st and if you can get there this week, then go! First was Butterflies in Bloom, which is an indoor sanctuary filled with a variety of species of butterflies and plants that attract and support them. The girls were thrilled with the close contact to these beauties and imagine my shock when my six year old said “Look! I can see his Proboscis!” apparently she was paying attention during camp at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History! 

The Zoo offers the special activities at an additional, but very affordable cost, and also has the option of purchasing an Explorer Pass which gives unlimited access to all of the activities for one price. This is the route we chose and I’m glad we did because the kids couldn’t get enough of them! The second activity brought us up close and personal with some of the zoo residents – the camels! The girls got to take a ride on a camel! They loved it and my four year old ended up going on multiple times by herself!  

My six year olds favorite activity came later in the day – rock climbing! This activity is a great way to get some big muscle activity going after all the walking of the zoo. A big climbing structure has been erected in the center of the zoo with harnesses and ropes. My girl loved trying to get to the top and the feeling of zipping down as she repelled back to solid ground. She might have chosen to spend all day doing this one activity, but in the end the draw of the animals was too much and she had to keep checking them out. 

There is a great variety of animals and the zoo is perfectly sized for children, you can visit all the animals in one trip and feel like you’ve seen a huge assortment of creatures. We loved the giraffes, elephants, and zebras that are nearest to the entrance and guarantee that you will see some beautiful animals right away. My kiddos also loved the seals, the snow leopard, and the red panda. We were lucky enough to be there when a wallaby joey was just leaving its mama’s pouch and exploring the world independently. In this area you are really close to the wallabies and kangaroos and they might cross right in front of you on the path, it was so cool to be so close to these guys! We also got to see a baby red crowned crane which I wouldn’t even have noticed if not for my six year olds keen eyes. The giant anteaters are also proud new parents, but they are not back on display yet as they are still bonding.  It’s such a treat for all of us to see this cycle of life in these animals we don’t get to see every day. 

For those that have been before, you may remember the farmyard area. This is one of the areas that has been completely renovated and improved! It is so fun! In the new Alex and Ani Farmyard, the kids get to practice collecting eggs and milking cows. They also get to go in and play with the goats. There are barn owls, alpacas, miniature donkeys, pigs, and other farm animals to visit. My kids loved brushing the little goats and the opportunity to spend time doing that provided some welcome quiet, calm moments in the middle of our exciting zoo day. All the goats are named and the zoo workers will teach them to you. 

We ended up getting a late lunch/early dinner there to boost our energy for the last portion of the day. They had lots of kid friendly food at affordable prices and yummy stuff for grownups too. And of course, we had to get our kid’s their first Del’s lemonade (and some for mama too)! 

It was a fantastic day and we all loved it! The kids can’t wait to go back and they’re asking to go in October for the annual Jack O’Lantern Spectacular when there will be over 5,000 carved pumpkins displayed. There were signs up around the park and they really captured the kids’ imaginations! They love the idea of Halloween at the Zoo and seeing so many jack-o-lanterns at once! Every year a new theme is chosen for this festival and this year’s theme is “Jack O’Lanterns A to Z” and the pumpkin art (many carved by professional artists) will be arranged in scenes in alphabetical order, such as D is for Dinosaur, F is for Fantasy, and so on. There’s even a section honoring inspirational individuals such as Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana. There is a grand finale called the Laughing Tree which has hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns on the ground and high up in the trees. The crew, Passion for Pumpkins, that creates the pumpkins works nearly around the clock for 32 nights keeping the pumpkins fresh for visitors, so crazy! It sounds so cool, and I’m excited to go see it this year for the first time with my little ones!

The show runs at the Zoo from October 2nd through November 2nd from 6-11pm and is a major fundraiser for the Zoo. I would suggest heading to the Zoo after lunch and visiting all the sites there and then enjoying the early hours of the show with your kiddos. Or you can have an early dinner at my awesome cousin Ed’s restaurant, Vanity Supper Club in Providence, which is delicious and a really cool spot!

Ok back to our day, we ended at “Our Big Back Yard”, which is an amazing play and exploration area for kids and families. There is an indoor activity space, a special place to trade nature items with other kids, an outdoor play space with “the Drip Drop Water Garden,” “The Sticks & Stones Building Zone,”  “Creativity Corner” where kids can make nature art, and the “CVS Caremark All Kids Can Treehouse” which has tons of hands on activities and cool corners to explore. With swings, climbing structures and tunnels carved out of the earth and made from trees, it is a great spot to end the day and get out wiggles before the ride back to the Cape. We brought a change of clothes and a bathing suit so the kids could play in the water area and the dirt without worrying about ruining their clothes for the ride home. 

We had a great time at the Roger Williams Park Zoo and loved all the activities; I heard rumors that the climbing wall may still be up in October, but no promises. If it is, definitely participate! If you miss the seasonal activities this year, I’ve been assured there will be some awesome ones starting next spring as well. It’s so fun to explore attractions that are a quick trip from the Cape; sometimes we do need to go over the bridge!

 Have you been to the Zoo? What did you think? What’s your favorite day trip from the Cape? 

Kids Academy - ABC alphabet Fun for my Four Year Old! I was looking for an app to help my little one improve her letter recognition when I came upon this great app. It has fun mazes that reward her with cute animations and letter tracing to aid in recognition and writing. In the free version only uppercase letters are included but for 2.99 you can add lower case or for 9.99 you can get that and a ton of awesome add ons that make the app a tremendous learning tool. The music and instructional voice is calm and helpful and my kiddo returns to this app again and again despite having other options on the phone. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/preschool-kindergarten-learning/id603393402?mt=8

Kids Academy - Preschool & Kindergarten Learning Kids Games Works to improve Number & Letter recognition
 This has been great for both my 4 & 6 year old. They are able to work at their own ability level thanks to the option to create separate profiles. My older girl likes to “teach” the little one and she often does it with this app, so cute! We’ve started using a stylus to make it easier to write the letters and numbers and that made it much easier to use (we had a hard time getting it right with just our fingers), this also better mimics using a pencil which is great! This has a great section that connects letters to words and that really helped my little one start connecting the letters themselves to the sounds she’s hearing around her. Numbers have also been tough for her, so this review has been great! 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/preschool-kids-games-kid-puzzles/id543851593?mt=8

Kids Academy – Best Kids Songs: Bingo 
Love this musical learning app This is one of my daughter’s favorite songs so when I saw the app, I knew she would it and she does! I was expecting simply some fun music time with my little one, but it provides even more than that! it is very interactive and helps teach her letters and animal sounds while singing her favorite song. She claps her hands and sings along. The graphics were cute and she loves exploring the farm and seeing what happens when you touch different areas of the screen. She enjoyed this one so much, we are going to try the other Kids Academy song apps now too! 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-academy-best-kids-songs/id675554527?mt=8

Disclosure: Reviewer received a copy of this e-book in order to facilitate an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are the author's own.

By: Meghan
I am a reader, always have been and always will be. When I was a kid, a book was always in my hands, my bag, or at least nearby. Reading was my escape, my way of visiting foreign ports, my chance at time travel, and a way to meet people facing choices I’d never imagined.

The best books are the books that stick with you, even when you put them down. They infect your conscious so that when you’re out doing every day activities you are thinking of the characters, seeing the world in a new way, or experiencing emotions that are a result of what you’ve read. These books change your view of the world.

I am in the midst of reading a series of books that are capturing my mind and my heart, they are based on Cape Cod and I thought I would share them with you mamas! This book is making me see the Cape in a new way, and feel the hope, grief, love, and excitement of the characters. I just completed the first book -  This Is The House by Deborah Hill. Set on Cape Cod, the story follows Molly Deems from age 18 months through adulthood.

Born during the American Revolution, she and her mother face tremendous struggles after the loss of her father during the war. Molly’s mother had nothing and no one to help her and is essentially bought by a mean, vicious man and she and Molly must move with him to Barnstable. There her mother is abused and used as he pleases. To help her daughter escape a similar awful fate, her mother finds Molly a place as a serving girl in the home of a wealthy sea captain’s family in Yarmouth.

Molly is blessed with a kind and loving mistress, Elizabeth Ward, who teaches her to read and write as well as the skills to run a fashionable household despite Molly’s lowly status as a servant. Molly is bright and kind and good. She is a hard worker and succeeds in her role serving Captain Ward, his wife, and two sons - though she aspires to more. A great beauty she begins to attract attention as she ages and she knows if she wants to advance her station in life, she must connect herself with a man on his way up in the world. On Cape Cod the upwardly mobile men were the sea captains.

In the Ward’s house, she meets a young man, Elijah Merrick, about to take command of his first ship. Using her natural charm, beauty, intellect, and a little manipulation, she quickly wins his heart. There are many obstacles to their marriage - she’s a servant girl, her reputation is in question thanks to her mother’s position, Elijah’s old Cape Cod family will not accept her, and worst of all is her attraction to the Ward’s irresponsible, handsome son, Isaac.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the story because it is a joy to read and root for Molly and Elijah, her good hearted, loving sea captain. They are both complicated characters faced with choices and difficulties true to their historical time period. Their story shows the social mobility that was available to Cape Codders in a time when Cape Cod men were the premier captains and sailors in the country and the world was theirs to explore and make their fortune. These captains and their wives changed the face of the Cape, leaving the old one story rambling Cape homes for the large Captain’s homes we see dotting Route 6A to this day.

As I drive down the road, it is easy to imagine Molly and Elijah walking down that road, riding in their carriage as their fortune grew, and finally building their own two story, double chimney house. It was a joy to learn more about Cape history, the story left me hungering to research the past. Find out the details of the towns and families described in the book. Many of you Cape Cod Mommies will recognize familiar names (maybe your name!) as you read this book. We meet members of the Sears, Snow, Mayo, and other families that are still living here today. Deborah Hill writes about old feuds and what caused them, the division of towns and how they came to be. It’s a fascinating read, especially for those of us lucky enough to live here, a land still populated by captains and their sailors.

The author lived on Cape Cod and married into a family with mariner roots. She read the memoir of her husband’s Revolutionary War-era ancestor (Elijah Cobb) and included many elements of his story and the Cape he described into the book. Read it and tell me what you think. I’m about to start The House of Kingsley Merrick the next book in the series and am so excited that Deborah Hill has just released the final book in this trilogy – The Heir. This is exciting because the other two books were released in the 1970’s and fans of the series have been waiting ever since for the third book and here it is, hurrah! I hope to find the next two books as engaging as this first book, I will definitely report back

If you enjoy historical fiction, if you want to learn about Cape Cod after the Revolutionary War and during the early 19th century, or if you are just looking for your next good read, then go check out This Is The House, you won’t regret it!

Check out more info on the books here: http://www.deborahhillbooks.com/

By: Meghan

Well it’s official; I heard a Christmas song at the store the other day. We are officially in the crazy, wonderful, maddening, holiday season. I love this time of year. The magic, the anticipation, the music, the movies, and the helping one another out community feeling this season brings.
 
I feel a little behind because I completely missed Halloween. My
youngest and I were both sick, sick, sick that week and missed all the festivities. Have you mamas ever had Pneumonia?! It was insanity. I could not get up out of bed. It’s been almost two weeks and I’m still not feeling 100%. The little one also had a respiratory infection, and the poor thing was so sick
she didn’t even care she was missing out on trick or treating. My big girl still got to go out that night and very kindly collected treats for her sister as well. So because I was so out of it that week, I feel like I’m just jumping straight to Thanksgiving. Which is fine, because if there’s one thing being sick made me feel, was gratitude. Weird, right?!
 
Grateful that I was only dealing with a short term sickness.  Grateful that my family is mostly healthy. Grateful that my friends brought me soup (and wine) until I was feeling better. Grateful that we have a roof over our heads, warm beds to sleep in, and love and friendship. I am so grateful, mamas. For you, for my family, for my friends, for health, and happiness. When = times are tough, I want to remember this feeling. Keep it stored in my heart like a little golden pool of refreshment that I can dip into when I’m feeling beaten down, anxious, lonely, and scared. Because those times come too, don’t  they mamas? They even come during this most wonderful time of the year. So,  mamas, let’s talk about what we can do for one another during the holidays, to help our mama friends that are needing some refreshment from that golden pool of gratitude. 
 
Are you a member of the Lower Cape Moms’ Group on Facebook? If not, go over there and join (even if you’re not living on the Lower Cape)! It’s a great resource and filled with mamas helping mamas. Last year the group members helped 12 Cape Cod families in need during the holiday with toys, clothes, and presents. We’re doing it again this year and hope to help even  more. Go join the page and if you want to help details will be posted soon on this year’s effort. 
 
Now, mamas that need some help this year (don’t be embarrassed many of us have needed help and more of us will need help in the future), here are a few resources that can help you;
 
Cape Cod Children’s Place –
This organization serves as hub for families on Cape Cod. They have Thanksgiving meals to offer and are a good place to get info on anything from fuel assistance to clothing help. 
 
Lower Cape Outreach Council -
The mission of the Lower Cape Outreach Council is to provide emergency assistance of food clothing and financial support to individuals and families in Brewster, Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet which will lead to healthy, productive and self-sustaining lives as part of the Cape Cod
community.
 
Homeless Prevention Council –
The Homeless Prevention Council works to keep people in their homes and their communities. They provide one-on-one case management, use every resource available to create individual solutions to barriers for families in need. They are located in Orleans and they are accepting families in need, and there really isn't much to signing up. So contact them and get help! 
 
Cape Cod Times Needy Fund –
Provides assistance with basic needs based on real time financial status. Serves individuals from the Mid-Cape to Upper Cape area. Those in Falmouth should contact the Falmouth Service Center and those on the Lower Cape should contact Lower Cape Outreach. 
 
Falmouth Service Center
– Their mission is to ease stress, reduce hunger and improve the quality of life for our neighbors in need. The Falmouth Service Center assists in accessing basic needs for families.

Salvation Army – Located in Hyannis and provides a number of programs, including a Christmas assistance program, for families in need. 
 
Now, if you are feeling extra grateful and feeling like you want to help, go ahead and support any of these organizations with a donation this holiday season. Mamas, I am grateful for you and for the love you show one another. Thank you for living in this crazy community with me and helping one another whenever help is needed. 

Is there an assistance group that I missed? Put it out there, so that those in need can help! What are you grateful for mamas? 

By: Meghan

My five year old has been telling all our neighbors that we went back in time on Sunday. People laugh and
think she’s pretending, but they don’t understand that she believes this to be true. This weekend we went to King Richard’s Faire in Carver. Once you leave the parking lot and enter “Carvershire”, it feels as though you’ve stepped through time directly into an English Renaissance village. There are finely crafted cottages that serve as “shoppes” throughout the town, with charming details such as a roof in the shape of a dragon. It really was impressive! We visited on a cold and gray day, which meant there were not a ton of visitors and there were more actors interacting with just us. This really helped immerse us into the time period represented and made the girls feel like they were experiencing history. 
 
Of course we HAD to dress up! My big girl decided that she would not be a princess, but a knight instead!
A flurry of messages was sent off and another awesome Cape Cod mama helped me out by letting me borrow a knight costume for her. The little one, as she does most days, dressed as a princess. I dressed up too, my husband laughing at me as I added jewels and crowns all the while saying “It’s for the children!” Sure, sure!

In my preparation research for this trip, I kept reading how very expensive a day at the Faire could be,
since we are on a budget I wanted to try to minimize as many of the costs as possible. We packed a bag full of lunch and snacks for the girls and ourselves to decrease food costs. We also set limits with the girls on the number of rides they could go on and the number of purchases that could be made. 
 
The ride to Carver was an easy 1 hour trip from the Lower Cape and we arrived at 11:00am. We spent the
WHOLE day there, finally leaving at 5:30! Even though it was chilly, the girls never wanted to leave. 
 
Upon arrival we went straight to the costume rental shop, Seams Like A Dream, which is right by the entrance and all the costumes are made by an onsite seamstress. We rented a villager’s outfit for Matt (who clearly married above his station in his marriage to me, a princess). This can be a bit pricy ($30 is the least expensive men’s outfit rental) but it is really fun to feel like a part of the Faire and the quality of costume and service provided by the staff there made it worth it. They have costumes for men, women, and children (even babies!) that range from peasants to royalty. Very fun to explore!

After Matt was appropriately attired, we familiarized ourselves with the schedule for the day and talked
about which shows we really wanted to see and planned out our day. The girls were dying to see the horses and the knights, so we went to see the first joust of the day. One of the cast members, upon seeing that Fiona was a girl knight, explained that girl knights are called Dames instead of Sirs and told her about Joan of Arc and how she led a whole army. There is no charge for the jousts and they are amazing to watch. The skill of the knights is amazing, the horses are beautiful and their bond with the riders is very clear. It’s obvious how much training and work goes into learning the historic knightly skills that make these joust so exciting! Each quarter of the jousting field is represented by a different knight, and you cheer for the knight closest to you. Our knight won the joust and the girls LOVED it!

After the joust concluded, we went to see Jacques Ze Whipper’s show, which was really fun and I will let
you mommies know that many of the women in the audience enjoyed seeing Mr. Ze Whipper take his shirt off and perform his flaming whip finale. Everyone in the audience enjoyed seeing his skills with the whip as well, but maybe not quite as much as the ladies.

One thing to be aware of is that the performers in the Faire’s shows are not paid by the Faire, they instead
earn their living through the tips they make after the shows are finished. This means it’s very nice to put some money into the hat for these skilled performers. We never felt pressured by the performers but they did let you know that a tip was greatly appreciated. In truth we were happy to do that and the girls enjoyed meeting and thanking the performers afterwards. 
  
After that we brought Fiona to “Knight School” which is also free. There a “Grand Prince” and his knight
give some history about the knight’s roles and duties and gave some sword instruction to the students. All of the young knights were then brought to a stage where they were introduced to King Richard himself. The young knights were then knighted by King Richard and introduced on stage as Sir (or in Fiona’s case Dame). Coco and some of the other young princesses were also made “Ladies of the Realm” at that point and introduced as Lady to audience. The King and his court of nobles then invited the young knights and ladies to parade through the Faire with them, which both girls really enjoyed. Everyone bowed and clapped as the
parade went through. The parade ended on the jousting field and King Richard congratulated all the young knights and ladies and then invited them to stay for the next joust.

This was a real highlight of the day for them, Fiona has been telling everyone that she was knighted and it made the girls feel so special to be involved in the show in this way. The school, the knighting, the parade,
being on the jousting field – this was all free and simply a part of attending knight school. For those who have been scared off from attending the Faire because of cost, I am here to say that it is possible to have a great time at the Faire without going bankrupt!

We stayed and watched the second joust because the girls really couldn’t get enough of the horses and
knights. One thing to know is that there is a storyline to the jousts that I wasn’t aware of, the first joust ends with all four knights having won a different contest within the joust. The second joust ends with a final victory
by only one knight. One of the defeated knights ends up being a very sore loser and has one of the other knights shot by an arrow – which fortunately doesn’t hurt him because of his armor. However this sets up a challenge between the knights for a final joust at the end of the day which is to be fought “to the death”! Having two very sensitive kiddos, we purposely chose not to attend the final joust of the day, knowing that it would involve death and fighting. Of course this is all a show, but my two are still young enough that this feels
very real to them and I knew it would be too much for them to process. I’m sure other kids would LOVE that part of it, but that’s for you mamas to decide for your own families. 
 
After the second joust, we decided to have some lunch. We did end up buying $10 worth of food tickets – the
Faire choses to use this ticket system instead of cash which requires you to buy a minimum of $5 worth of tickets. With our $10 worth of tickets we were able to buy two big servings of French fries as a treat to supplement our food from home. Not terribly historic but warm and yummy on a chilly day. So, yes, food is
expensive there but you don’t have to buy it and there are some delicious options if you do chose to buy tickets. 
 
Princess Academy was held after lunch and was taught by three princesses of the royal court. They gave
some historical background on princesses and ladies and their roles at court. They taught the girls princess skills such as curtseying and how to rise up those curtseying too you. It was much shorter than knight school, but enjoyed very much by my three year old. 
 
We then went to see some of the amazing craftsmen who have shops at the Faire. Fiona was awestruck by the blacksmith and loved seeing him pound away at making a sword. She could have watched him work all day and would have LOVED to bring home one of the swords he made.

The girls were then allowed to pick two rides each (they all cost about $3/person). First they chose the pony ride, where they were able to ride a tiny pony (for Coco) and an actual large horse (for Fiona) along a wooded path, they really enjoyed themselves and said it was the best pony ride ever!

Next they picked a swinging boat ride where the riders sit in a large boat which has rope pulls hanging
inside of it and one person pulls one rope and the other pulls the other rope which makes it swing back and forth. There are also really large men there that help push the boats high and fast. The girls were shrieking with laughter. This ride also costs $3/person.

These were the only rides we went on as part of our cost containment system, though there were many others that the girls would have loved to have tried. After the rides we thought we would go see the Mud Show, but we didn’t last long as the raunchy humor was far above the girls’ heads and they were getting bored. The show was clearly hysterical for adults and I was bummed out not to watch it. Instead we went over
to see the Tale of the Tiger show. The girls were excited to see this as we had heard there is a Liger (a rare animal that is a combination of a Lion and a Tiger, which I had never heard of before I saw Napoleon Dynamite). 
 
Everything I had read, raved about this show and I was looking forward to it as well. However, the show itself was kind of a dud. Ladies wearing animal prints parade out animals on a leash, including a tiger cub (SO cute!)  and a few different tiger breeds, as well as a chimpanzee. They then put them on a table and fed them from a baby bottle. Two of the show’s performers spent the entirety of the show yelling at people that stood up or made any noise in the audience. It just felt weird, it doesn’t seem like the animals would be controlled simply by a leash as many of them are very large, and if it’s so dangerous that people can’t move or make noise in the environment surrounding the animals, it doesn’t seem like the safest choice having them at the Faire. At the end of the show, the performers noted that the liger has now been retired so we would not have the opportunity to see him anymore though they hope to bring some liger cubs to the Faire next year. Though I was disappointed in the shows, the girls enjoyed it and Coco even said it was her favorite part of the Faire. 

This was our last show of the day, as it was about time to head home at this point. Though we only caught
a few of the shows, there are many, many more. The shows are repeated through-out the day on different stages throughout the fairgrounds, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch the shows you’d like to see. I’m not sure how appropriate the other shows are for kids, as many of them seemed aimed towards adults. 
 
And this is my one critique of the Faire, it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis, not quite sure if it’s for adults or kids. A lot of it is aimed at adults, though they have created a few kid-specific options like the knight school and princess academy, but there is a lot more to the Faire that would best be enjoyed by adults. There
are tons of artisans there that I didn’t have the opportunity to appreciate and many shows that I would have loved to have seen if I was there without the kiddies. 
 
It was my first time at the Faire, I’ve always wanted to go and I’m so glad we did. The day was full of shows, jousts, lessons, rides, and great people watching. It seemed like there was always a show to be watched and never a lack of entertainment. The cast members were really kind and helpful throughout the day, and went out of their way to make my kids feel special. The kids are already asking to go back and we definitely will, though maybe when the kids are a little older and can enjoy even more of it.

King Richard’s Faire is open until October 20th, go check them out and let me know what you think! If you’ve been before, what was your favorite part? What did your kids like?