Hilltown Families 
When the Truth Hurts: Helping Daughters Be Honest in a Good Girl World I had just started a fifth grade class when a student began waving her hand and doing that...
It’s Memé Clean! One summer, when the boys were little… say around 10 and 7… we had quite a fly problem in the house. It seemed no matter what I did...
Happy New Year & Happy Birthday Now we are in the hammock week of the year. You start out the year in January and, well, the year is like an egg....
A Charlie Brown Christmas at the McIlquhams Three little figures resembling the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man’s offspring weave in and out of the maze of spruce, firs and pines in search of...
Children’s Museum in Holyoke It’s winter here. The ground is cold, but not yet snow-covered. The days have been getting shorter and we’ve hit the point at which they will grow...
Holy Cow! A Creamery Co-Op! The Old Creamery in Cummington began its long presence in the Hilltown community as The Cummington Cooperative Creamery in 1886. At that time, a co-op of...
And Then They Grow Up…. Something happened this week in my home. Something so rare I am afraid I may make other parents of teen boys jealous. But then again, telling...
Pet-Free Till Now: The Botanic Garden at Smith Works its Magic We’ve been a pet-free family for almost 15 years. The first three years of our marriage we worked so much...
No One’s Ruining My Day Authors note: This column was originally intended be about all things “green” from learning to be more environmentally friendly to my naiveté as a parent. As...
Give Me a D! Give Me an R! Give me an I V E! But Put Your Seatbelt on First! Late Breaking News: Aidan Wright, resident 16 year old of the...
Elizabeth Mitchell: Sunny Day Elizabeth Mitchell’s new CD, Sunny Day, came out earlier this month and at just the right time for my family. With the air getting crisper and school...
An American Weekend: The Norman Rockwell Museum We celebrated Labor Day weekend here in New England with family. We had a full house and more than our fair share of Bub’s...
Boys and Their Friends: A Drama Free Zone When I was a “tween” and adolescent girl, it was difficult to maneuver and understand the nature of my friendships with other girls....
Northampton’s Big Backyard: Look Park in Florence The first day of school for my gang is in the books. We wave and kiss summer good-bye. We look ahead to our fall...
Choices Every school year moms have cookie cutter thoughts. How to make sure their children do their homework. How to make sure they are involved in outside activities. We think about...
We’ve become big recyclers, we drive fuel efficient cars, and we take our reusable bags to the grocery store...but even though the best way to teach a kid any lesson is...
Into the Woods When the heat broke recently we headed to the woods in New York for a week. If you have ever been to the Adirondack Park you know what...
Let’s Hear It For The Bear Apparently no one told the neighborhood bear that the McIlquham’s were making an attempt to live greener and had enough forces working against them in...
It’s ALL Mom’s Fault My thirteen year old, Gannan, is a blame contortionist. Lately when something isn’t right, no matter his actions, no matter his mistakes, he very adeptly twists, turns...
A Lesson from Brazil The honking of the car horn as they approached the driveway announced their arrival. Max, who had been helping me make the bed, quickly abandoned the task...
School’s Out School’s out! The last time it was this hot, my family and I had just moved to Northampton from a sleepy Connecticut suburb, there were two weeks until school...
At Peace with Living Green If you are a diehard environmentalist you may be familiar with the name Bea Johnson. And if you weren’t aware of her before there’s a good...
Give Me a Break There is a saying that says something along the lines of, “If you want to see what’s going on inside someone’s head just look inside their drawers.”...
I Beg To Differ! It started years ago when my boys were very young. Well-meaning moms at the playground, preschool and parks would cluck their tongues and sigh. After a few...
The Power of One: Art Smarts BY HF Contributing Writer, Dana Pilson There are few things more wonderful than a child’s creativity. Daisy recently crafted this family portrait from a kit...
The Power of One: Oh My Only-itis BY HF Contributing Writer, Dana Pilson I admit it. I have “only-itis.” Or perhaps you could call it “pedia-envy.” Now that it’s spring and...
The Power of One: The Bounty of Books BY HF Contributing Writer, Dana Pilson Would Arthur be as amusing without D.W.? Who would Stella impart all her worldly knowledge to, without...
No Such Thing As a Perfect Parent Nobody ever said parenting was easy, but we certainly don’t make it easier on ourselves … and I’m no exception. I am a 38-year-old...