You might have read about an alleged pregnancy pact made by 17 teenage girls at a Massachusetts High school. To make a long story short, these bright young women, all under age 16 vowed to get knocked up and all succeeded—one even took the insanity to a whole new level by making a 24-year-old homeless man her baby daddy. I wonder if the school has contemplated changing their mascot to Jamie Lynn Spears.

While it’s crazy that these children may have actually followed through with their plan, it’s also crazy that many of my peers and I are familiar with the idea of a pregnancy pact—in fact, it’s an idea my friends and I have contemplated first in high school and still bring up over several pitchers of beer at the Terrace, groaning about our dead-end majors, our fear of what the future brings and our lack of money ( though somehow there’s always cash for a crazy night out, complete with our new favorite shot – the Four Horsemen).

My father, for most of his life, operated a printing press. He also moonlighted as a de facto pitchman for Anhueser-Busch. The same way some men wear cufflinks, my dad, you could say, wore a Budweiser. When I think of him, I don’t see his face, but rather a can of Bud in his kung-fu grip.

Of the things my father passed onto me nothing has given me greater pleasure than his love for beer. If it’s truly every parents desire to see their children better off than they, my father should be pleased that by the time I reached legal drinking age, the proliferation of microbreweries was in full-tilt. My generation, unlike his, wasn’t limited to cheap domestic swill or imports with fancy names.

At 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, I was frantically driving to the far East side to make it to my bank before closing time. The bright orange demarcations of construction were everywhere on East Washington, mucking up traffic and adding to my frustration. I drove past the Big Lots and the Wendy’s and the cell phone stores galore, finally reaching the sprawl of asphalt that contained my bank, everyone else’s banks, any suburban franchise restaurant one could dream up, and all the big box stores. I found myself thinking, with glee, how lucky I am that I live with my daughter in Madison, Wisconsin, where countless modern “necessities” are just a stone’s throw away from a couple of beautiful lakes, a jewel of a capitol building, the University, the world’s best farmer’s market, State Street… needless to say, after my transaction we turned right back around and headed downtown.

Being the 30th year of the fair that captures the spirit of Madison better than any other it was interesting to see the old and new stand side by side. Nowhere was this more evident then the contrast between the juggling escapades of the Truly Remarkable Loon and the positive hip hop message of Elements of Change. Click here to read more.

Being a parent often feels like running in several races at once. There is always more to do. The race against time does not cease just because your progeny is running loose with no diaper as the imminent soiling of expensive carpet looms like the Enola Gay. Things still need to get done. It is only a matter of time.

But kids only grow up once. Finding ways to spend “quality time” can be a daily challenge. Growing minds need enterprising activities as much as parents need a break from the constant cycle of feeding, napping, and social conditioning. The day to day can be downright dreadful, at its worst. A series of rewarding discoveries at best.

Once again maze time is upon us. For the second year in a row we are happy to provide you with this helpful list so you can have an a-mazing fall. We have updated the times and such to the best of our abilities and listed the mazes based on how close they are to Madison (including drive time from the center of Madison). All of the mazes below are linked to websites that have directions and many of them open this weekend. If we missed a maze that you love, please let us know or if you have been to any of the mazes below in previous years please tell us what you thought.

Though I’ve lived in Madison for over a year now, I still discover something new about the area on a daily basis. I’m learning which bar has the most hopping happy hour (I recommend the Orpheum; what can I say, I’m a Stella Artois fan and $2.50 for a Stella can’t be beat, plus they offer a free buffet of fancy cheese, mussels and wings, along with a stellar people-watching vantage point) and where to get the best latte in town (that’s another subject altogether, though I must say Mermaid Café boasts a mean ristretto shot). But being the mother of a creative and energetic 6-year-old dictates that I have also eagerly explored everything from rainy-day library groups to the simple allure of licking Babcock Dairy ice cream cones while feeding the ducks on the Memorial Union Terrace. Parents on a budget, families who are just weary of the same old local options, tourists or recent transplants who are looking for activities that are fun for both you and your child(ren), this is for you—a few suggestions for kid-friendly, wallet-approved, maybe just under the radar activities.