I wonder if my kids would eat these...

It's ice cream, but it looks like fruits and veggies! I want to try it...Yum!

Community School of Music and Art

The Community School of Music and Art in Mountain View is by far the most amazing place! I signed Math up for a comic book drawing class last month and he's been digging it big time! The class has some classic components like learning basic anatomy drawing and pen and ink filling, but it's also very fun and laid back. Math is learning a lot, but having a blast all the while. I have a feeling we are going to be here a lot for the foreseeable future.

If you're not sure your wee-one is ready for a full fledged series of classes you can sign-up ahead of time to take part in a One-Day Saturday Funshop class. For $35 you and Junior can enjoy a two part music and art session with some of the finest early childhood education facilities around. The class is broken into two 45 minute sessions with a snack break in-between. Classes are developmentally appropriate, and is wonderful hands on exploration for any youngster.

Here's some photos of Alexander chilling at CSMA while we waited for Math's class to be over.

For the mom in your life

I love my mom. In many ways she's a lot like me which is probably why we are able to piss each other off so completely at times, but she's the one who made me who I am for better and for worse. Being adopted I appreciate so much more the power to love another person despite birth or circumstance. I understand unconditional love without prejudice or discretion. Being a mother, I appreciate the visceral possession of a child who will forever be irrecoverably yours no matter how old they get. And being a daughter, I understand that no rules apply when it comes to what your mom can and can't say to you!

With Mother's Day it seems almost unfathomable that a gift could represent or convey the aforementioned feelings. But since it is fast approaching I suppose it's time to think about what to bestow Mom. Can a gift even begin to scratch the surface of your appreciation for her? Heck no! But you gotta get something for the woman who mothered you (and a nice card, too!).

Here's some options:

I love this tea set from Teavana! It's got just a touch of Euro-chic and comes with a removable infuser insert.

For the mom who loves a nice soak why not these amazing smelling bath cubes by Fresh (lychee is my favorite)?

All moms love reminicing about memories past. How about a wonderful photo book? If you have a Mac it's easy...or you can use Snapfish, too!

And lastly, for the mom who loves to give back how about a donation in her name? Charity Choice offers over a hundred different reputable organizations to choose from!

Fun with Firefighters!!!

Hey, if you live in the South Bay area come to Rivermark's Red Robin this Monday to chill with some Firefighters! They'll have a vintage and giant fire truck for the kiddies to play on. There will be REAL firefighters around to answer questions, show kids their gear, and a raffle to win a private tour of the fire station!

The event is to raise money for a wonderful FF volunteer program, Santa Clara Firefighters Foundation. These amazing men, who's job is to risk their lives on a regular basis, VOLUNTEER to help other local charities in a variety of ways. Some of these works would include Senior Assist programs (like helping older folks clear out their back yards of debris and possible fire hazards), disaster relief, mentoring and leadership programs, and outreach for the disabled.

Rivermark Moms and The SC Firefighters have partnered with Red Robin, who will be hosting this event. All proceeds are tax-deductible, and will go to the Firefighter's Foundation! So come enjoy the trucks, eat some dinner with the fam, and support a great cause!

Flipping Indiana Jones!

My son's kindof (okay, really really really) obsessed with Indiana Jones. He can be regularly found sporting a fedora, brown corduroy jacket, and spouting off Harrison Ford one-liners. When his birthday came around it was no surprise he wanted an Indiana Jones themed party.

Besides scrounging e-bay for archeological themed favors and decorations I ran across a post on Craigslist. His name was Dustin, and this was his ad "Indiana Jones! At your Store or event !!!!" I mean, come on...what are the chances, right? Indiana Jones lives in my backyard? And he's for hire? I contacted Dustin right away, and he got back to me promptly. He was very professional and easy going (even when it rained on the day of our event and everything got moved to our hideously disorganized garage!). He arrived with his partner, and the two of them put on a FANTASTIC adventure complete with life-size props and stunts! The kids went wild over the show. After the skit, Indiana and Elizabeth Sweet stayed in character and took the kids on a treasure hunt around the house (it was raining else we'd have done it at the park), and played some games. It was a day my son will never forget :0) He still asks if Indiana Jones will come back looking for his idol.

Dustin has a company called DeadmanFX up in Marin County. He's a stuntman who spent time down in LA working in movie industry. He now runs a company that specializes in cast molds and special effect artistry here. He also does a very convincing Indiana Jones, complete with whip demonstrations. The kids went gaga...so did quite a few of the moms ;0)

Per Matthew's request, his birthday gift was a Flip MinoHD. He said he wanted to make movies of himself on tv (we have hours of him bouncing around with a light saber finding treasures meant for museums, and lengthy clips of his Lego creations). In a lot of ways though, this was a gift for myself (shhh, he still thinks it's all his!). I've enjoyed shooting video of the kids, and documenting their cute sayings and new accomplishments. I also appreciate how EASY it is to use! So here's a little movie of the birthday using his (my) new Flip. I editied using iMovie.

Flipping Indiana Jones from Bay Area Baby Blog on Vimeo.