“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.
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“Childhood Matters: Nurse Rona’s Book Club”
June 27 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and author Barbara Probst discuss “When the Labels Don’t Fit,” a book about tapping into your child’s strengths so you can manage, nurture, and enjoy your child’s essential nature.

“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.
Read the rest of this entry »

“Taming Your Preschooler”
June 15 at 7 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
Meg Zweiback teaches parents discipline techniques for preschoolers. (Free. Limited child care is also available for $5, call 510-658-7353 to register.)

“Childhood Matters: Father’s Day Roundtable”
June 20 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss the joys of fatherhood.
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“Childhood Matters: Gay Parenting”
June 13 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss adoption, surrogacy and the challenges of gay parenting.

“First Aid Class”
June 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
Learn lifesaving techniques from a first aid specialist. Each class is offered in two sessions; the first session is on Pediatric CPR and the second session addresses safety and first aid. You must attend both sessions and turn in a registration form and a check payable to BANANAS to reserve a space. Fee: $50-individual; $70 for parents/couples.

“Taming Your Preschooler”
June 15 at 7 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
Meg Zweiback teaches parents discipline techniques for preschoolers. (Free. Limited child care is also available for $5, call 510-658-7353 to register.)
Read the rest of this entry »

“Childhood Matters: Summer Fun & Safety”
June 6 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and family travel expert Shelly Rivoli discuss summer fun, travel possibilities and how to keep families safe and healthy on the road.

“Childhood Matters: Gay Parenting”
June 13 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss
adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate parents, and gay parenting.

“First Aid Class”
June 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
Learn lifesaving techniques from a first aid specialist. Each class is offered in two sessions; the first session is on Pediatric CPR and the second session addresses safety and first aid. You must attend both sessions and turn in a registration form and a check payable to BANANAS to reserve a space. Fee: $50-individual; $70 for parents/couples.
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Contra Costa Times has this story about salvia, something your kids may be using:

Parents worry about salvia, a legal hallucinogen big on YouTube

Bill Cooper hardly expected to dial into a world of Mazatec Indian shamanism when his phone went dead and he reached to borrow his son’s.

Then he saw one of the text messages: “hey, when were you fixen to blaze the salvia.”

…

Salvia divinorum, which local smoke shops sell in packets of dark, crushed-leaf extract — with a “strictly for incense use only” disclaimer — has spurred new laws in more than a dozen states in recent years amid a slew of online videos showing youths speaking or acting bizarrely after smoking it; and the well-publicized suicide of a Delaware teen in 2006, with the coroner listing salvia as a contributing cause.

In many of the videos, the smokers often start laughing uncontrollably, then are rendered incoherent by a forceful high that users describe as much shorter than LSD, but often more intense. …

According to a federal drug use survey … , an estimated 1.8 million people age 12 or older used Salvia divinorum at some point, including 750,000 that used it in the past year … . Contrast that with ecstasy, which was used by 2.1 million people in the same one-year period.

Full story

“Childhood Matters: Non-Violent Communication in Families”
May 23 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss how to break the cycle of yelling at or using physical punishment on your children.

“Adoption Book Group”
May 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
This month’s topic is “Debating Race,” by Michael Eric Dyson.

“Childhood Matters: Raising Strong and Healthy Families”
May 30 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss parenting issues on this pre-recorded show.
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We’ve always loved Mommytrackd, the cool, edgy web site for over-worked, multi-tasked-to-death moms. Now, we love them even more. They’re offering free downloads of some of their most popular organizational tools - calendar pages, to-do-lists, menu planners, etc. - on their web site. Check it out!

“Childhood Matters: The Special Election”
May 16 from 9 to 10 a.m. on Green 960 AM and streamed live on Childhoodmatters.org. Rona Renner, RN, and panelists discuss the upcoming special election and its impact on children and families.

“CPR & First Aid Class”
May 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bananas, Oakland
First half of a 15-hour course on CPR, first aid and preventive health. Second class is May 31. Call 510-658-7353 for registration forms and information.
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From the Associated Press:

A dispute between two 9-year-old girls in New York has led to criminal charges against one of their mothers after police say she posted a Craiglist ad seeking sex and directed respondents to call the other mother.

Here’s the full story.