Patch Picks

Patch Picks: Ways to Prepare for the SAT

Are you or your offspring taking the SAT on March 10? Here are some ideas for how to be well prepared and good to go!

The SAT Reasoning Test is being offered at Newton South High School (and other area high schools) on March 10, and for many juniors this will be their first experience with the college admissions test. Here are some tips for not only this test on this date but also some general suggestions for successful standardized test taking. Register for the test- Tomorrow is the LAST day for late registration for the SAT Reasoning Test (this time around, no subject tests are offered). While you will also be able to take it on May 5 and/or June 2, getting this early start gives you a good sense of what you most need to work on in order to improve your scores. Keep in mind that most colleges average your scores or at the very least consider earlier …

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Patch Picks: Vacation Week Plans in Newton

Not getting out of town for February vacation week? Want to keep the kids from going stir-crazy or driving you nuts? Here are our picks for keeping everyone busy and happy at or near home.

Beach Day at Home – So you can’t make it to Florida or California this vacation. No problem- bring the beach to your house. Go to the hardware store and pick up a bag of sand (with this mild winter, you haven’t needed it for your driveway), cover the kitchen floor with newspapers and fill some boxes or pans with the sand. Crank the heat in your house and put the kids in bathing suits or shorts and tees. Grab some funky sunglasses, different sized containers and some doodads for decorating. Then make sand castles in your kitchen! Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt – This will take some planning, but it will be well worth the effort. Get together with some of your neighbors, preferably with similarly aged kids, and start planning ASAP. Come up with…

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What are Your Plans for Vacation Week in Newton?

School vacation week is next week and we want to hear your ideas!

February break--a blessing for some, and a challenge for others.  Starting Monday, students in the Newton Public Schools will take their week-long February vacation. We here at Newton Patch want to know: what do you plan to do with the kids? This week's Patch Picks will feature school vacation ideas for kids and families here in Newton. Whether it's a family vacation, a local camp or fun activities at home, share your ideas with us. Here's how: Please get your submissions in ASAP! Patch Picks will run the results this Thursday (Feb. 16) at 3 p.m.  Patch Picks is a weekly column highlighting editor and reader picks of great businesses, destinations, services, organizations, activities and more.

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Wendy Schapiro

12:02 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Thanks Jessica- I will definitely include that in Picks! :D   more ›

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Patch Picks: Creative Valentine's Day Gifts in Newton

Sure, you could go with flowers or chocolates (yawn) but here are some more unusual suggestions for your Newton valentine.

Saturday Night Live once ran a hilarious sketch about getting your sweetie a “teddy bear holding a heart” as the supreme, “I didn’t plan ahead” Valentine’s Day gift. Don’t be that person! Here are our picks for thoughtful Valentine’s Day presents for all of the important people (and pets) in your life. For that special fellow – Letting your guy indulge in a habit or hobby that you might not share is the ultimate act of selfless love. Whether you let him watch an all day NASCAR race or get him some smelly stogies to go with a bottle of Scotch, you’re showing him you love him for who he is (and engendering some future indulgence on his part). Upper Falls Liquors is running a 20% off special on single malt Scotch and cognac right now, and …

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Patch Picks: Super Bowl Recipes

Having the gang over to watch the big game? Want to try out some new dishes that will make you the champ of the party? Here are our picks for Super Bowl recipes.

Ingredients: Directions:   (adapted from Rachael Ray)- serves 8 Ingredients: Directions:   (Editor Melanie Graham's adaptation of this recipe found on Allrecipes.com) Ingredients: Directions:   (from about.com Cocktails) Medford used to be known for its rum. In fact, noted patriot (get it?!) Paul Revere is rumored to have stopped for a shot of “fortitude” in Medford during his famed midnight ride. Medford no longer produces this libation, so any full-bodied, dark rum will suffice. Ingredients: Directions:   (as suggested by my friend Daisy) Ingredients: Directions:

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Wendy Schapiro

11:00 am on Friday, February 3, 2012

Please note that I recommend the Trader Joe's avocados and salsa because, after many years of trial-and-error (including the horrifying "jarred salsa stage" of which we will not speak ;-), I found that the quartet of bagged avocados from TJs were the ripest and the fresh salsa was the least watery and most flavorful. But if you find good avocados and fresh salsa elsewhere, let us know here in the…   more ›

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POLL: Top Super Bowl Commercial of All-Time

Bud Bowl, Mean Joe Greene, the Bud frogs ... what do you think is the best ad ever to air during the NFL title game?

It's been the game within the game. The hottest topic other than what team won and why. And this year should be no different. Commercials during the Super Bowl tend to keep football-crazed fans glued to their TVs during timeouts. Not so much for the product, but for the genius writing and creativity. The hype really started with Coco-Cola's ad featuring Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Mean Joe Greene tossing his grimy game shirt to a young fan in 1980. Since then, we've been enthralled with talking frogs, animated beer bottles, the Big Brother-type ad when Apple announced the release of the Macintosh, and others. So I started to think about which commercials I thought were the most memorable. Here are my choices for all-time greatest …

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Brooklyn Lowery

12:37 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012

I love the Clydesdale in training commercial, Brenda! Good choice.   more ›

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Patch Picks: Five Films to See Before Oscar Night

Here are a list of must-see movies that have been honored with nominations by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or the Oscars.

The Oscar nominations were announced this week, and it looks like there is a great deal of controversy and some really surprising nods this year. But the following, our picks for films that got some sort of acknowledgement from the Academy, is a list that should be without dispute. Go see them (or rent them) before the Oscars air on February 26! The Descendants- Garnering five nominations (Best Directing, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Picture), this touching tale of a family’s transformation is a surprising mix of humor and tragedy. George Clooney gives a startlingly unglamorous performance, and Alexander Payne’s script and direction keep the film tight and engaging (currently playing at the West Newton Cinema…

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Wendy Schapiro

1:38 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012

I got a very informative email from the lovely folks at Redbox with the link to "Midnight in Paris" so that you don't even need to do the legwork when you go to rent Woody Allen's sure-to-be-classic Oscar-nominated film: http://www.redbox.com/movies/midnight-in-paris   more ›

Where are the Best Sledding Spots in Newton?

Share your favorites with us!

It may have arrived a little later than usual, but snow finally fell in Newton this weekend and stuck around for more than just a few hours.  So, now that it finally feels like winter, where are your favorite spots to sled in Newton? This week's Patch Picks will feature the best sledding spots Newton has to offer, and we need your feedback to compile the list.  Here's how you can share your favorite sledding spots with us: Please get your submissions in ASAP! Patch Picks will run the results this Thursday (Jan. 26) at 3 p.m.  Patch Picks is a weekly column highlighting editor and reader picks of great businesses, destinations, services, organizations, activities and more.

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Patch Picks: Ways and Places to Warm Up in Newton

Remember in last week’s Patch Picks when we warned you that winter would, indeed, eventually arrive? Well, it’s here and if you’re like us, you’re already complaining about the cold. Here are our picks for ways and places to warm up all over Newton.

  Sip some hot chocolate- Yes, we all need our caffeine fix in the AM, but what is more warming than a fragrant cup of hot chocolate on a frigid day? You can go to any of the many chain coffee shops in town (Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks or Peet’s) or hit one of the local shops like Lincoln Street Coffee, Coffee Corner, L’Aroma Café or Taste. Slurp some soup – Comfort food is the order of the day during New England winters, and soup is the perfect warming meal when you’re on the go. The New England Soup Factory has at least six types of soup each day, and during the colder months they also sell chili and chicken potpie. Grab a quart and bring some home for dinner, too. Sweat away the chill – It’s easy to just develop a few extra pounds to keep…

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Patch Picks: Ice Skating in the Newton Area

It may not seem like it, but winter is here. And with winter comes ice skating, so here are our picks for places to lace up and glide across the ice.

It may seem as if winter is never going to arrive in full force here in New England, but trust us- it will. And though the outdoor ice skating rinks still need a little help from Mother Nature to be solid enough for skating, there are also indoor locations where you can get in touch with your inner Nancy Kerrigan or Brian Boitano. Check Patch for updates as to when the outdoor locales are open and ready for skating. Auburndale Cove Ice Skating Rink (outdoor) – Lessons available when rink is open. Hours: Mon- Fri, 3pm – 9pm (opens one hour earlier on Tues); Sat, Sun, holidays and vacation, 10am – 9pm. Daly Skating Rink (indoor)- Just over the line in Brighton, the Daly rink offers season and day passes. Classes are also available. Hours: …

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