de Young Fine Art Museum: Chihuly Extravaganza

Today we made the trek up to San Francisco proper to see de Young Fine Art Museum’s Chihuly installation exhibit. Dale Chihuly is a Tacoma, Washington glass blower who makes the most whimsically beautiful glass pieces I’ve ever seen. His work makes me think of something akin to a Dr. Seuss book, only better!

First we stopped at the Metreon to partake in my favorite wood-fired pizza at Firewood Cafe. I know the Metreon location is kindof a tourist destination, but I love their pizza, and the atmosphere is very kid friendly. The Castro location is also very kid friendly! Anyway, we ordered two Italian sausage pizzas, one pepperoni, and my sister ordered the turkey sandwich. We all were very pleased with our selections, but for me, the spicy olives are the best part.

Then we set off to de Young. We weren’t too smart with our planing. If I were to do it over again, I’ve have ordered tickets ahead of time using WillCall via Ticketmaster, but the show itself was fantastic! My older son (7) really enjoyed all the different ways the glass was molded into things he recognized (shells, flowers, etc), and my toddler liked all the brilliant colors. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to bring strollers into the exhibit. They had a free coat check, and I was thankful I remembered to bring my ring sling.

Swanton Farm Organic Strawberry Picking

Yesterday we made our way to Swanton Berry Farm along the coast right outside Santa Cruz. A friend informed me to call ahead before we made the trek down since the weekend crowd can clear out the strawberries pretty fast. Swanton had an updated voice message explaining exactly what the crop was like, how many were ripe, etc. Since we were only planning to gather a few pints before the babies got tired it turned out to be a perfect day for us to go. The farm was easy to miss since my GPS directions took us in the back-way, and it didn’t look like much from the outside...just a little farm building amidst a big barn surrounded by tractors and backhoes. But the kids and the moms all had TONS of fun! We went on a Tuesday so there was next to no one there (not even a person to man the cash register!). The bigger kids (5 and 7) had a lot of fun hunting, and the little ones had a lot of fun eating. The whole farm runs on the honor system...and Alexander had evidence all over him. We left a few extra dollars to compensate for our ill gotten gains, and then we headed to Zachary’s for brunch.

I’ve been to Zachary’s Restaurant a few times, and it is an awesome diner to take kids. Friendly staff, inexpensive kid-friendly meals, and lots of character. We bustled in with 5 kids and 3 strollers, were promptly seated, and the waitress was very sweet and helpful. All in all...it was a great day!

Pirate Paradise

During the summer Stanford University Varsity Fencing Team and Sailing Club get together and host a week long “Pirates Camp” for kids, ages 6-10. The camp offers a bunch of scheduled events and games (treasure hunts, dress up, pirate talk 101), and an hour long fencing lesson to boot! This is probably one of the most creative camps out there! The team has also started offering birthday party packages as well!

Registration starts in the beginning of the year, and usually fills up fast - too fast for us this time :0(

Diaper Days

This is a totally awesome idea! You get to go to a grown up movie WITH your kid(s), and no one is going to complain if they eat, whine, yowl, or show off an exorcist-style vomit session (well...maybe the latter). Strollers are not allowed in the auditorium, so it’s probably a good idea to do the baby wearing thing. I tried this out with Alexander awhile back, and most of the kids were downright angelic! I must admit, I also enjoyed seeing a movie that didn’t have a lovable cartoon character as the lead role for once. This is also, hands down, the best way to see all those chick-flicks that your husband would rather eat glass than sit through.

The movies are shown at Camera 7 Pruneyard in Campbell (at 12:30) on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Additionally, Diaper Date Night is now offered twice a month if you and the hubby are feeling particularly ambitious.

Details can be found here or you can join the Diaper Days Yahoo Group for more info!

Mountain View Summer Concert Series

Math dancing with his cat

Last night we went to a concert at Cuesta Park. It was a cover-band of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. We packed some blankets and a picnic dinner, and the kids had a blast dancing and playing in the nearby park next to the stage. Only drawback was no alcohol allowed in Mountain View public parks. In all, though, it was a pretty fun night.