General Parenting Advice
Big lessons from little ones
January 27, 2009
The other day my four year-old Solomon said he wanted to pretend that he was a baby tiger, this is a very common game around here. I said "OK, hi little baby tiger, do you need a tiger snack?" He uncurled from his tiger pose, stood up, put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes at me "Nooooo mom, I'm not that kind of baby tiger. I'm the aggressive and ferocious kind of baby tiger." And so a Read more...
Party planning and penny pinching
January 21, 2009
I realized today that both of my son's birthdays are fast approaching. This time of year is always a hectic one for me because I don't choose to do the easy Chuck E. Cheese party where there is virtually not prep time and no clean up. Because we have always had home birthdays, this is what my son's expect and therefore, this is what their loving mother delivers. However this year, times are Read more...
At one with nature
January 19, 2009
I went back to my roots this weekend and took my kids on a day trip to Tilden Park in Berkeley. Both my parents grew up a couple of miles from this amazing park, and my grandparents took me there all the time when I was a kid. Just as I remembered, it was simply wonderful. There is a 'little farm' that has cows, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats and more that kids can feed and learn about. Read more...
The Science and Art of Raising Kind Kids
January 07, 2009
Surfing the net today (do they still say that or am I dating myself?), anyway, I was surfing and I came across a great opportunity for parents if you are up for a day trip this weekend. www.parentsmonthlyonline.com has a great monthly calendar of activities for kids. This month they had a blurb on the San Francisco Exploratorium which is offering a one-time class called ' The Science and Art Read more...
Resolution: save $!
January 02, 2009
So one of my many New Year's resolutions this year is to watch my money more carefully. I'm off to a good start since last year I tightened the belt straps quite a bit. OK, now I'm going to out myself as a semi-hippy-type now, but hell with it. The truth is I was born and raised in Berkeley, so the fact that I now live in the suburbs of Sacramento can only white-wash those hippy roots so much. Read more...
Learning from our mistakes
December 24, 2008
There are so many things that you can learn about being a parent before you have children of your own. Prior to the births of my kiddos I had several friends who had their own kids. Spending time with them I watched their trials and errors and took notes. While every parent is going to make a plethora of mistakes, it is still a wise thing to learn from others, the good and the bad. One Read more...
Murphy's Law
December 23, 2008
I keep thinking about that Murphy's Law thing. What is it? Anything that can go wrong, will. Well with just two days of mayhem before Christmas arrives, Murphy's law has ruled my world. My computer crashed, my sewing machine broke just as I was finishing a quilt that was a gift, my dog wandered in with a giant mystery wound that needs stitches and my kids are as badly behaved as I can imagine. Read more...
Little lessons from a playdate hosting mom
November 25, 2008
Today we had the mother of all play dates. Five boys - that's right - two four year-olds and three six-year olds. It was surprisingly easy, but there were two very good lessons I learned during the six hours (count 'em, six) that I hosted the play date. The first lesson is this: Legos are a godsend. And Legos from garage sales are priceless. Now most kids enjoy Legos, however they are Read more...
Less is More.
November 24, 2008
There are moments when our schedule gets so hectic and I'm so frantic to not be late to the next activity that I completely lose all perspective. In a way I think we have all lost perspective these days. We are raised in a country that teaches us that there is a certain way to raise children. We begin by stimulating them with every possible piece of information as little babies, next we Read more...
Post Holiday Bargain Hunters
November 19, 2008
Everyone is trying to save money these days. Our family has definitely tightened the belt and I am always on the lookout for new tricks to save a buck without decreasing our quality of life or fun for the kids. I am a big advocate of post-holiday sales and yesterday I was in Michael's Arts & Crafts where there is still Halloween goodies for 90% off! I bought my boys fun ghost and bat Read more...
5 ways to curb your family's spending
October 22, 2008
These days it seems everyone is working hard to save a buck. In our household we've cut way back on unnecessary spending and I look for deals wherever I can. There are some great ways for families to still maintain their quality of life while also saving money. 1. Shop smarter for food Groceries are a huge part of our family budget, but there are a lot of ways to Read more...
No on Prop 8
October 21, 2008
If you are super religious or rigidly right, you probably want to stop reading right now. I was born and raised in the East Bay Area and I have large opinions and little tolerance of any sort of prejudice, bigotry or unfair treatment of anyone. I am also not generally a very political person so it is rare that I get riled up about things. However recently I noticed a plethora of Read more...
Sick & Tired
September 29, 2008
There is only one thing to say about being a mom and getting sick: it sucks. I have first-hand knowledge of the suckage today because I have an awful cold and unlike normal people, cannot get into bed and nurse myself back to health. Even though I am feverish, snotty and miserable, I still got up and packed lunches, trucked kids to and from school and soccer practice and did dishes and Read more...
Sick & Tired
September 29, 2008
There is only one thing to say about being a mom and getting sick: it sucks. I have first-hand knowledge of the suckage today because I have an awful cold and unlike normal people, cannot get into bed and nurse myself back to health. Even though I am feverish, snotty and miserable, I still got up and packed lunches, trucked kids to and from school and soccer practice and did dishes and Read more...
Picking a pup for your preschooler
September 18, 2008
We are in pet-mode here at Sac Savvy Source. Shopping for a new kitten and trying to leash-train our 9 month-old puppy we are a little crazy but having fun. Our good friend Johnita Wemken, owner and publisher of the fabulous Sac publication Pet Gazette, is here once again today to give us some much needed advice on choosing the right pooch for your family. I guess it's too late for us, but Read more...
Puppies and Preschoolers - advice from the pros
September 17, 2008
Since yesterday I morbidly decided to delve into death and house pets, I thought today I would invite local publisher Johnita Wemken, owner of the Pet Gazette (www.petgazette.org) publication, to talk about puppies and preschoolers. While dogs do help teach kids about responsibility and empathy, the relationship does have to develop and be nurtured. You can't throw any old puppy at any old Read more...
Raising Responsible Kids
September 12, 2008
I'm just going to be up front and admit that I am not the most organized mother. I try really hard, I do. But the color-coordinated folders and the outfits laid out the week before never last very long in my house. When it comes to my kid's school I do, however, put forth extra effort so that all our paperwork is turned in, all volunteer hours are worked and we just generally have our p's Read more...
Clever Kiddie Cakes
September 08, 2008
If you are looking for a way to spice up your preschoolers birthday, one great way to make your it extra special with a unique cake. When I was growing up my mom had one of those old 3-D Wilton cake molds of a panda bear. She would clamp the two sides of the mold together, fill it with cake batter and bake it upside-down. After the big cake bear had cooled she would spend literally hours Read more...
Little kids, big appetites
September 04, 2008
Since fun in the kitchen seems to be a prevailing favorite with preschoolers, I thought I'd do a little research on local away-from-home cooking opportunities for little ones. Busy Bees Studios in Carmichael offers a program for 3 to 6 year-olds and a parent or caretaker called Smart Chefs: Promoting Preschool Skills Through Cooking. According to the their website, www.busybeesstudios.net , Read more...
More resources from a frazzled mom with 'bad' kids...
September 03, 2008
Since recently I've discussed the challenge of disciplining young kids today, I found a great resource I wanted to share with all you Sac moms. Mercy Hospital has a great program that offers a variety of parenting classes for parents of preschool and school-aged children. Here's a round-up of all they have to offer in the next couple of months. Please note: classes are intended for Read more...
Back-to-Preschool!
September 02, 2008
While many grammar schools have been back in session for weeks, it is finally preschool time again. Tomorrow my 4 year-old Solomon and I have a back-to-school get together at our preschool. He has been groaning and whining for weeks, so he is absolutely thrilled to be going back to the world of big kids'. Since I've been through this whole preschool deal before, I thought I'd give some Read more...
Little Kids, Big Screen Thrills
August 26, 2008
I have two children with two very different personalities one is brave to the point of occasional stupidity, while the other has bouts of fearfulness that defy all reason. Because of this I often find myself balancing between tempering the aggressiveness of one while attempting to coax the other out of his shell. So if you had asked me yesterday if I thought it was a good idea to take my Read more...
Fun Support for Mama
August 22, 2008
While becoming a new mom is a blissful, enriching and powerful experience, it can also be very lonely. If you are not surrounded by girlfriends with their own little ones it can be difficult to figure out how to meet other moms. I found myself in this predicament when my first son was born and went the 'mom's group' route. And while I met many nice ladies, none that I had a lot in common with. Read more...
Mom-Friendly Advice
June 18, 2008
A friend of mine who is expecting asked me the other day how I came to know so many moms and developed so many friendships around my kids. This gave me pause because before six years ago I really wasn't a playdate kinda gal. If I had looked to the future of my motherhood I would've seen it as a pretty isolated place. I know, there are those women that know a million other women and they all Read more...
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