Have You Read "Three Cups of Tea"?

Last year the the bookgroup I'm part of read the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, and then we had a tea party to celebrate this wonderful inspirational story. Unfortunately, at the time, we were unable to procure any rancid yak butter, but a member made some fantastic traditional Chai in it's stead...omg, yum!

Synapse Institute, the progressive lab school my son attends, has been inspired by the book, too! The students have decided to put on a garage sale to raise money for Pennies for Peace, an organization put together by the author. The proceeds will be sent to help students in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This is a fun and interactive way to show your kids the spirit of citizenship in action, and heck, you might pick up a used Burberry bag for a steal ;0)

Located at 305 N. California Ave in Palo Alto from 8:30am-2pm this Saturday, March 20th.

Any donations to put up for sale are welcome, and can be dropped off at the above location anytime before Friday afternoon.

For the Facebook info page go here .
For more info go here .
For more info about the organization Pennies for Peace go here .

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Alexi and his best friend went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this week. The kids had a blast exploring and seeing all the fish and aquatic animals. The splash zone was a huge hit with the under 3 crowd. There were tons of things to touch and feel. Alexi liked dressing up as a fish, and in the end, ran himself to exhaustion. He fell asleep on the way out...perfect trip!

"My Son is Inigo Montoya...Prepare to Die"

My son started fencing this year. Surprise, surprise...he LOVES it.

We signed up for classes at the new Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. No, we're not Jewish, but the facility is very friendly and welcoming to all interested parties. The staff was super helpful in getting us all set-up even though the center hadn't officially opened yet, and they were super nice about my crazy kids running around like they owned the joint. The facility is state-of-the-art, eco-friendly, and very fabulous. Alexi can run around out in the courtyard while Math's in his class. As long as the weather holds out it's a win-win.

The class itself is wonderful! The teachers are very, very thorough and encouraging. They kids are all very collaborative, and advise each other. I love that the older boys mentor the younger ones. There is a huge amount of etiquette involved, and I appreciate that the game melds competitiveness and good sportsmanship together. And, of course, there are swords, right? What's better than that?

Ulistac Natural Area

Right behind my neighborhood is a nature preserve that runs along the Guadalupe River and trail. It's called Ulistac Natural Area and it's home to several different types of habitats and multiple forms of wildlife. Today a bunch of us took a walk over with the kids and set down a few picnic blankets under the foliage. We had ourselves lunch, and the kids went on their own adventure running around picking up sticks and hunting for bobcats and snakes (none of which they encountered thank goodness!).

Along the trails are informative plaques about the native wildlife and vegetation. On past days we've seen jackrabbits, foxes, bunnies, and various birds. On some weekends there are park events such as art exhibits and nature talks, too! There are no picnic tables (we just sat on the ground...don't forget to bring a trash bag!), but Lick Mill Park is also located directly across the street with a playstructure, bathrooms, and tables, too.

In all a nice place to visit when you've got a house full of antsy kids and nowhere to go.

Help A Mother Out at Baby Buzz

Yesterday was a very long day, but one of the highlights was a diaper drive hosted by Baby Buzz in Willow Glen through the organization Help a Mother Out. Help a Mother Out is a non-profit that collects and distributes diapers to families in need. I found out about it via Twitter and fellow tweep, Sarah. Karen, the owner of Baby Buzz, was also on hand to host the festivities.

I grabbed the rest of Alexi's diaper stash and we headed out for a day on the town. By the time we got to Baby Buzz I was burnt out from a long day. But Sarah and Karen were two laid back friendly ladies! They offloaded the diapers, gave the boys a snack, and poured me a nice glass of wine. Hello? Can we say new best friends to moms everywhere?


I thoroughly enjoyed my little rest, and explored the glorious store. I picked up a beautiful shower gift, and a really cool water bottle for Math. Before we left we got to witness an amazing surprise! The goal of the evening had been to hit 1,000 diapers. The Willow Glen branch from Valley Credit Union apparently got wind of this over Twitter and walked in with over 1,000 diapers! Totally unexpected, and a very ecstatic Sarah was overjoyed. It was a great night!


Just goes to show the power of cool people, and a little Twitter action, goes a long way for a great cause :0)

Tree Frog Treks

Tree Frog Treks is a science facility that runs programs, camps, and classes for kids of all ages. I have a friend who lives in the Haight and we dropped our two boys off at the camp for a "rocket science" Kid's Play Night, and then the two of us were able to go out for dinner and dessert sans children. Awesome.

Math came home with wild stories about touching all sorts of cool reptiles, learned how the frog cycle works, and built a small rocket. Dinner, drinks, and a movie were also included.

You do need to register ahead, but if you're coming to SF and want to do some grownup time this might be the perfect way! Drop off is at 5:30, pick up is at 9.

Paxton Gate Curiosities for Kids

If you've ever been to Paxton Gate you know it's like a David Sedaris Wonderland Emporium. Seriously, they have some really weird stuff in there! But fascinating...

Anyway, Paxton Gate has a kid's store! I was in the Mission with a friend over the weekend and we took a peek inside. This whimsical store was chock full of unique art, vintage and handmade treasures, and other beautiful gift ideas for kids of all ages. Unfortunately all I had was my iPhone with me, but here's a glimpse of some of the amazingly cool, quirky things I came across. My favorite was a shaddow puppet stage.

They also offer kid yoga classes in the back room Mondays 2-4. You need to enroll ahead of time with the instructor.

Biking Mama

So it's official, I'm now the proud owner of and Electra bike :0) I love it so very much! It's perfect for cruising around my little neighborhood or to the grocery store or to the park. After much thought I decided not to get the coveted Bobike Mini. I realized I was a tad too klutzy to put the extra weight on my bike, and I picked up a trailer from a friend instead. This turned out to be a good decision since I can haul the kids in the trailer and my stuff in the front tray.

I was told I can now be the neighborhood bread girl since in Europe it's a very common style of bike for bakers to deliver bread ;0)

This morning we all did a family bike trip to Hobees for breakfast. So loving this new found mode of transportation :0)

I also picked up a Wordlock bike lock since I'm notorious for forgetting my combination. This is so much simpler since it's just a 4 letter word...much easier to remember!


And lastly, I've asked The Hubster to get me a Yakkay bike helmet as an anniversary gift, lol. Sure it doesn't sparkle, but it's way cute as far as bike helmets go. Safty first!

Electra bikes can be purchased from The Off Ramp in Santa Clara and Mountain View. Wordlocks can be found at all Targets. Yakkay helmets are only available internationally, but are sold on-line through a UK retailer called 50cycles.

Succulents

Photo by Caitlin Atkinson

What I wouldn't give for the vertical masterpiece above! It was created by a San Francisco artist named Flora Grubb (that's her real name!). She owns and runs a garden nursery, and specializes in works of art made from succulents and other cacti variations. And I'm oh, so smitten!

I'm no green thumb. In fact, I kill almost every plant I touch which is why I find succulents so fascinating! They are hearty little buggers, and beautiful, and require almost no botanical know-how to survive. Plus, since this is mounted on a wall, it would be up and away from my kids (who would invariably try to rip up each of those little suckers as cargo fodder for their toy trucks)! I have dreams of owning such a work of art someday *sigh*

Mancala Love

I remember playing Mancala in middle school. We made a board out of egg cartons, and I fell in love. It was simple, yet addictive. Then after burning out on it, I totally forgot about it. While recently shopping for last minute Easter gifts, you guessed it...I saw it! You can buy Mancala boards made from all sorts of materials, but I bought a simple one from the Toys R Us' exclusive line that was made from bamboo (a sustainable resource). It's actually pretty nice, and entertaining me once again.

Hubs and I come from a long line of board game lovers so it was no surprise that Math was quite taken with the game. He and I were playing today (for the millionth time). He's getting good...so good he beat the pants off me twice! Maybe we should move on to chess soon?

Alviso Bay

This weekend we took a little walk around Alviso Bay. The marina is a 5 minute drive from our home. As you approach Alviso, crowded industrial tech buildings give way to cute little beach houses and small owner-run restaurants. It's a place that time forgot in many ways, but has a very East Coasty, Cape-Cod feel to it. Alviso was once a booming port that shipped agricultural products all over The Valley, but then in 1864 a new railroad line was put in. Alviso's become a veritable ghost town compared to it's micro-chipped neighbors over the years, but is listed on the National Register as a historic gem.

Alviso now attracts nature lovers and health enthusiasts from all around. One can capitalize on the miles and miles of dirt trails surrounding the bay. There are thousands of acres of marshes and salt ponds. Wildlife is dense, and bird-watchers would probably find this place paradise. There are informative plaques explaining more about marshes and indigenous species of plants and animals, too.

We had a nice time walking around the desolate, windy bay. After exploring a bit it got sortof creepy how devoid of human life the place was, but in a beautiful way. It seemed strange to find so much nature right in the backyard of the largest tech community in the country. But, it was a lovely way to spend some weekend family time apart from the computers and video games and televisions and iPods and iPhones and AppleTVs and DVRs and DVDs and CD-ROMs and Facebooks and Twitters. Apparently my camera was spared such neglect, though ;0)

The Play Store

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with an associate at The Play Store on University Ave in Palo Alto. She was very gracious about letting me take pictures, and answered all sorts of questions about their stock and play philosophy.

The Play Store is a small independent toy store for children of all ages. It is unique in that it almost exclusively sells natural, wooden, and/or organic toys and accessories. I was also told they don't buy from any one particular region (though European toys seemed to have a heavy influence). Instead they specifically chose items based on child-centered functionality, and quality. The Play Store has a Waldorf inspired methodology regarding their beliefs about play and learning, and also believe that toys should be made to grow with a child (not ceasing to be useful after a certain age).

The associate also emphasized that safety was very important to them, and they did not purchase from countries known to have toxins in their paints. In fact, they try to veer away from paints all together, and mostly stock items that have been naturally dyed. And on top of all these great perks, they store has a conscience, too! They only purchase from companies and sources that treat workers fairly, and are environmentally friendly.

The store itself is very child-friendly, too. They have a wooden train table set up with a simple assortment of Plan City and wooden train pieces. Alexander spent much of his time playing there while I took some photos of the rest of the space...

Busy playing

Front of the shop

For the budding culinary virtuoso

Adorable wooden foods

Beautiful and naturally dyed wooden vehicles

Organic baby section. The Play store also partners with a local woman who makes unique knitwear, too!

Baby Gifting...

For some reason everyone I know is pregnant right now! There must be something in the water :0)

Anyway, here's a list of some great items to bestow any new mom...

Serena & Lily 'Market' Baby Sling sold at Nordstrom. Beautiful sling!

This German wooden activity gym is eco-friendly and cute! Can be found at The Play Store.

Glass, BPA/phthalate-free, silicon sheathed wee•go baby bottles. Found at your nearest BabyGap.

Baby Bunch apparel starter set, all wrapped up to look like a beautiful nosegay! Saw these at Right Start awhile ago. Don't if they still have them.

Mustela baby bath and skin products. Smells great, and it's French! Line at Pure Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, and Babies R Us.

"The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance." My MIL got this book for my husband before our son was born, and he used it all the time!

Maggie's Functional Organic Panda Set! Sooo cute! Found at Whole Foods.

Check out this pudgy panda!

Bebe au Lait

I like to think I'm progressive, but I'm also a prude. Maybe it was my Irish-Catholic upbringing that made me this way (I'm adopted, so take that nature vs. nuture), but the idea of breastfeeding my baby in public was mortifying. When I was living in Oregon I really admired the mothers who could just rip off their shirt and bear-all, staring down anyone who might dare say otherwise. For me, I was desperate to find some way to keep things "under-wraps," and not be forced to slink back to the car or a dirty bathroom.

In comes Bebe au Lait! Bebe au Lait is a small company started out of Los Gatos that offers chic, cleverly designed print and organic nursing covers. They come in so many hip, contemporary fabrics it's impossible to choose just one. The simple rectangle of fabric is packed full of little features, too. On the back side there is a built in pocket made out of terrycloth that holds small essentials and also works as a burp cloth. The neck line has a thin strip of rigid plastic that allows you to see your baby, and keep air-flow breezy. It machine washes beautifully. And lastly, they have a great sense of humor about it all. The company used to be called, "Hooter Hiders," and you can still buy the covers with the old company name on them. I love that!


Even if you don't breastfeed your baby, I found this cover to be useful. It made a great impromptu sun/wind shade, especially if you do the baby-wearing thing at the park or the beach. I'd just sling up Alexander and then hang the Bebe au Lait over my neck to keep him snuggly and protected (better than a blanket since you can't drop it!). So for any new mom out there...this one's for you!

Using the Bebe au Lait as a makeshift stroller liner at Disneyland

You can purchase Bebe au Lait covers at Maternal Connections within El Camino Hospital, Right Start in Palo Alto, The Children's Shoppe in Menlo Park, Due Maternity in San Francisco, Nordstrom, and a bunch of other places all around The Valley.