We've almost made it - just a few more days of 2020. Honestly, it's not like things will change overnight once we hit midnight on December 31. But since it's the end of another year, I thought I would take a moment to reminisce.
- Virtual EVERYTHING. School, doctors appointments, storytimes - you name it. Everything was done over Google Meet, Zoom or Facebook Live - and we all got lessons in how to excute successful online 'meetings'.
- 1-ply toilet paper. Desperate times, desperate measures.
- Printable everything... remember these? (There were more, but these are some of my favs that you could even use now!)
- FREE Printables for the Kids! Need a quick idea to keep the kids entertained? Here are 6 pages of fun - including tic-tac-toe, coloring sheets and a Macaroni Kid Leominster-Clinton word search.
- School Closing Daily Schedule: Get a FREE Printable!
- Mark the Last Day of School With These Printable Signs
- Back-to-School Printables to Celebrate that First Day
- Free Printable! Create Your Own Personalized Word Search
- The amazing "Letter from the Easter Bunny"! (Don't worry, it's coming back!)
- Everything was canceled. It was sad, it was frustrating and it was disappointing. I was in the middle of planning our first Easter Egg Hunt and I was excited, and then everything stopped.
- We found new, fun ways to introduce you to new local businesses with Boo Bags and Snow & Tell Bags. They were so much fun and made so many kids happy!
- I grew a partnership with Leominster City Hall/Leominster Community Development and local Author Anthony Garreffi - and we hosted three IN-PERSON events! (Thank you to all the families that attended!).
- Our Christmas Tree at the Leominster Festival of Trees raised $125 to support the fuel assistance fund in Leominster.
- The Lancaster Celebration of Lights came to the Bolton Fairgrounds and we gave away over 20 car passes for families to attend.
- Our Macaroni Kid website saw THE MOST TRAFFIC EVER during October and November - which is a great way to end the year!
I took a look back at the Publisher note I wrote in April and reviewed my own 10 steps for taking care of ME - and I'm still doing many of them! (April 28, 2020). I have a great playlist of guided meditation, purchased new headphones, we still play Wii, and I still try to get outside even if the weather is freezing.
One of things I am most proud of is that we were still able to reach more families in Central Massachusetts - and had over 400 new subscribers sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. I never expected that to happen! In a typical year, I would be at events meeting people and hosting activities - all of which were canceled (Old Home Day, Egg Hunts, Trunk or Treats, Leominster Kids Day, July 4, Holiday Events, etc.). But I got creative - I stepped up to find new ways to reach families - and I didn't give up. And for that, I'm proud. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it.
So as we go in to 2021, I want to thank YOU. The loyal fans - Moms, Dads, Kids, Grandparents, Foster Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Teachers, Business Leaders, and Friends - of Macaroni Kid Leominster-Clinton. THANK YOU for using Macaroni Kid as a resource to keep your family busy and learn more about local businesses and our communities.
Cheers to another year - and here's to looking forward to finding the positives in 2021.
Your local Publisher,
Emily
