1. Never turn your back on your child around water. At the beach, it’s important that the supervising adult is no farther away than 10 feet from a young child.
Segment the supervision responsibilities so there are never questions about which adult is responsible for watching the child and be aware of the distractions unique to the beach/shore setting: heat, noise, people-watching, sun glare, and the monotony of a young child’s repetitive play. Even professional beach lifeguards guard the beach in timed segments… you should too. Read the rest of this entry »
By Jackie Burrell
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 2:14 pm in Cuisine No Comments
Too mouthwateringly adorable. We always make a flag cake for Fourth of July - and stars and stripes cookies too. So naturally, this photo on BrightIdeas.com caught our attention. Not sure about the recipe though, which involves layering squares of frozen pound cake with instant vanilla pudding and broken up Snickers bars. It sounds kinda like an ad for Sara Lee, Jell-O and the Mars company, which - surprise! - owns the Bright Ideas site. Better idea: use the gorgeous photo as inspiration for your own stars and stripes cake. It doesn’t matter what kind of cake you use for the base… mmmm, chocolate? Ice it in white buttercream (which is more picnic-friendly than the whipped cream BrightIdeas used), and adorn it with blueberries and strawberries or raspberries. This year we’re trying a Barefoot Contessa cake that uses obscene amounts of butter and cardiologist banned numbers of eggs, plus a cream cheese frosting and raspberries and bloobs. Yum. What’s on your Fourth of July menu?
1. Civic Arts Education’s newest musical, “Alice in Wonderland,” puts children into the roles of not just Alice and the White Rabbit, but the Tweedles, the Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat and all 50 or so other characters. Two shows, July 2 at Walnut Creek’s Shadelands Auditorium. ($10-$12)
Hello! I know it’s been a long time (too long) since this Pleasanton mommy of two has blogged, but I’m dusting off the keyboard in honor of my all-time favorite summer family pastime.
This weekend will mark our seventh year of taking our kid (now 2 kids) to theAlameda County Fair in Pleasanton.
I posted some tips here last year that still ring true, so here they are again (updated slightly), along with some new ones from readers. Feel free to add yours!
1. Always get the free program at the entrance. Attractions and events vary daily and from year to year. New this year: A farm tour to introduce kids to rural life; kid and adult hot dog-related contests; an India-themed festival on final day.
2. Make sure to venture beyond the carnival rides. There are so many free fun things to do that will stretch your budget further. And if you can’t avoid the rides, buy a wristband. ($25) It will pay for itself quickly.
3. Visit all the furry critters. But bring the hand sanitizer. It’s usually provided but having your own is your best bet.
3. Seek out indoor exhibits when it’s hot. Especially the garden displays. Ahhhh. Cool gurgling water.
4. Bring your own food! Yes, you are allowed to do this, and it gives the belly a nice break from those funnel cakes. Our playgroup used to do a picnic in the central shaded grassy area by the barbecue station, and once someone brought in a whole cake for us to share. (So much for belly breaks). There are several tasty takeout and dine-in restaurants located nearby at the corner of Bernal and Valley avenues. (Or, even better, plan a sidetrip to our quaint/historic downtown Pleasanton — just a short drive away and full of shops and eateries.)
5. Avoid the high parking fees. If you’re from out of town, take BART to the Dublin-Pleasanton station and then the fair shuttle ($2 for those 6 and older; $1 seniors/disabled) from the station and from the Livermore Transit Center.
You remember that Nebraska Safe Haven Law that yielded unexpected results when parents started abandoning their teens too? One father, Gary Staton, abandoned nine of his ten children. Now comes news that Staton is going to be a father again. Ahem.
After Staton’s wife died of a cerebral aneurysm in 2007, he was left to raise their 10 children, then ages 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, on his own. But rather than ask family members for help last summer, he told his nine younger children they were going to a grief counseling session at the Creighton University Medical Center and he dumped them there. (By then, the oldest was legally an adult.) Now, Staton’s girlfriend is PREGNANT. And one can only imagine what his other children are thinking.
“So how does a guy who claimed he’d have a vasectomy if he had the thousand dollars end up a father again?” asks StrollerDerby’s Jeanne Sager. “I feel for Staton’s kids… They now have to face the fact that their dad has moved on not from the death of their mother but from THEM.”
Ah, the simple joys of playing in the backyard on a summer night. But when the cries of “I’m bored!” go up, as they inevitably do, you might want to suggest these backyard games. Oh sure, you could play tug-of-war or “Red Light, Green Light.” But what about Sardines? Statues? Diminishing Points or Shark? Here’s the scoop on four awesome games… Read the rest of this entry »
Sally Wendkos Olds’ book, “Super Granny: Great Stuff to Do with Your Grandkids,” is a total charmer. It features 75 awesome activities for grandparents and kids, from treasure hunts and gingerbread architecture to high tech fun, all divided by age, from 0 to 18. It’s a compilation of fun-filled wisdom and practical tips from Olds and 60 grandmothers from the United States, Germany, New Zealand, India and other countries, who all adore spending time with their grandkids. Two thumbs up! And all you have to do to win this is click “comments” and share your favorite grandparent memory. We’ll draw a winner’s name next Monday.
(Congrats, by the way, to Jennifer who won last week’s Queen Lullabye CD!)
“Changes & New Beginnings: Preparing for Transitions”
July 1 at 7 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
Speaker: Madeline Meyer Riley, MFCC. Whether it’s the first day of child care, preschool or kindergarten, changes can be challenging. This workshop is designed to help parents prepare for those big transitions. Free.
“Childhood Matters: Healthy Eating on A Limited Budget”
July 5 from 7 to 8 a.m. on 98.1 KISS-FM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss the importance of nutritious, delicious food during these challenging times.
“Booties Camp: Baby Basics”
July 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at Bananas, Oakland
First in a series of five classes, ranging from baby basics to yoga, for new and expecting parents. Register online. Read the rest of this entry »
OK, yes, we’re counting down the days (hours, minutes, seconds) until the sixth Harry Potter book hits the silver screen on July 15 … 21 days from now. And yes, the second Twilight movie, “New Moon,” brings Edward, Bella and Jacob to cineplexes on Nov. 20. But those aren’t the only kids and teen books to go cinematic in the coming months. Also ahead: Read the rest of this entry »
By Jackie Burrell
Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 12:37 pm in Movies, TV No Comments
Disney’s newest girl-centric comedy, “Princess Protection Program,” debuts tonight and we’re wondering, are you going to watch? It’s a royalty-meets-reality, fish-out-of-water, Princess Diaries-type romp about a coup-threatened princess who takes refuge in the covert Princess Protection Program. Now she’s masquerading as an average 16-year-old visiting her American tomboy cousin. Princess Rosalinda is played by young singer-actress Demi Lovato of “Camp Rock” fame, and her country cousin is teen pop star and Mouseketeer Selena Gomez of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and a million fan mags. We’ve posted the trailer after the jump. But first!
My favorite memory is flying to Michigan (by myself, at the tender...
For all the beachy joys of summer, it’s also a season of tragic drownings. And this year’s statistics are more horrifying than ever. In addition to the deaths of a Walnut Creek mother and her 5-year-old daughter in the riptide off Montara State Beach on Monday, a 27-year-old woman and 15-year-old girl drowned in a riptide off the Jersey shore on Tuesday. In Las Vegas, two toddlers died in swimming pools this week, and 50 died in drowning accidents in Texas before summer had even started. 
