Swine Flu Concerns

It is hard not to worry about Swine Flu, now called H1N1, when everything you hear on the news, radio and on the internet is about this new type of flu. Health concerns always take priority in the family. It is now at a stage 5 of 6 due to the spread to several countries and face masks and anti-bacterial gels are selling out all over. Should we pull our kids out of day care and school? Should we treat this as with SARS and bird flu as a pandemic? Or will small steps such as hand washing, staying home if sick and monitoring symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and headach be enough? The good news is that there is an anti-viral medicine available for this flu - Tamiflu which can shorten the length of the flu. That makes me feel a little better. My philosophy with everything is do your research and balance the information and the source. Then, you make your best decision and judgments based on your maternal instinct with this info. That way, you know you are doing what is right for you and your family.

For additional information, see the links below:

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/swine-flu-what-parents-need-to-know?ecd=wnl_nal_042909

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Family Car Stickers

We have all seen them around and I have even contemplated getting them -the cute little family car stickers that are on the back window of many vans, station wagons, SUVs and even some sedans. Everyone is proud of their family and this is one more way to show that. But, you need to be careful when you disclose information about your family too. Not to make you paranoid, but you need to remember that there are bad people out there ready to take advantage of any information you give them about your family. No names should ever be used on these stickers and even showing the age appropriate relationships in the family can put you at some risk. If someone saw you and your children coming out of the car, they would know how many children in the family, if there are pets, sometime what sports are played. Someone trying to make contact could use this info to try to act familiar with your family and especially your kids. It takes one moment of your son or daughter running back to the car with friends to wait for you while you finish talking to the coach or teacher for someone to approach and use this info. And, if you have a school bumper sticker also, that will help them even more. Again, be proud of your family, but be safe and remember how this information can be used.

Another blog with this same information which quotes a news update from Fox News:

http://simplesahm.com/2008/10/warning-vinyl-car-stickers-may-be-a-safety-hazard-for-families/

Summer Movies

Summertime is almost here! It is often fun to beat the heat and see a movie. It is a great summertime activity. How can you save money when you go to the movies?

1. You can save money by buying tickets in bulk at Costco for the adults ($7.50 each when you buy 5)

2. Several theaters including Regal Theaters, offer movie club cards, when you purchase tickets in advance

3. The entertainment book sold by many schools includes coupons for movies.

4. If your kids don't mind seeing the same movie again in the theater, you can look some of the special programs that theaters will have for kids.

- Cinemark has a summer club house starting June. Movies are offered every Wednesday at 10 am for 10 weeks at the very low price of $1 each! And, if you buy ticket for all 10 weeks up front, you pay only $5 for 10 MOVIES! What a deal! For info, see http://www.cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse/index.htm. They are offering Space Chimps, Horton Hears a Who, Madagascar 2, Shrek the Third and Tale of Despereaux to name a few.

- AMC is offering a summer movie camp. All movies are $1 and they have special "snack packages" too. For more info: http://www.amctheatres.com/smc/

Some fun kids movies that are coming this summer (though not all are appropriate for all kids -(remember to check them out first on http://www.commonsensemedia.org/) - Ice Age 3, Disney's Up Movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Alice in Wonderland, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs...

Earth Day is Wednesday!

April 22nd is Earth Day. This is a great day to remind yourself and teach your children about the values of recycling, conservation and generally taking care of the planet. Quite a few organizations take the opportunity to schedule a clean-up around this time and it is a fun and active way to involve the whole family and reinforce Earth Day values. We went out and helped the SF Wildlife Refuge in Fremont on Saturday and we got a guided tour of the wetlands, the birds and other wildlife as we helped clean up around the bay and refuge. Try the below sites or simply do a search on Earth Day Clean-ups and find out the best way to help Mother Earth and teach a valuable lesson to your kids!

http://www.calparks.org/programs/earth-day/

http://my.nature.org/earthday/

Summer Camps & Activities

Hard to believe, but it is that time again...time to think about summer activities and summer camps! Where do you start?! The Camp Fairs have already taken place in March and many of the camps "early bird discount" offers have expired.

Well, first of all, you can start with your local parks and recreation guide. You will find lots of summer day camps and activities for a relatively low price and they are pretty tried and true. Click here for the Fremont Parks and Rec Guide or check out your city's guide.

YMCA is another good choice for a lower-cost option that has great programs and includes extended care for full-time working parents. It not only has day or week long camps, but also has family camps where families can camp together and enjoy time together while learning crafts, meeting new people and enjoying the outdoors.

East Bay Regional Parks has lots of activities year round and has many hikes, nature walks, nature classes etc to check out for the summer.

Of course, swim, tennis, soccer, golf, baseball are all sports that are popular in the summer since they are outdoor sports. Again, check out the parks and rec guide for your city for lots of options for classes that are age-related. There are also specialized organizations which run week long camps for kids such as:

Soccer:
FC Fremont Soccer Club -http://www.fcfremont.com/
Kidz Love Soccer - http://www.kidzlovesoccer.com/
AYSO Soccer - http://soccer.org/home.aspx
Striker's Den Soccer Academy: http://www.strikersden.com/

Tennis:
Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club - http://www.ggtsc.com/
Bay Area Tennis Lessons by Jeff Randolph - http://bayareatennislessons.com/
Local tennis organizations directory - http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/California/Metropolitan_Areas/San_Francisco_Bay_Area/Recreation_and_Sports/Tennis/?o=a&skw=bay+area+tennis

Swim:
Splash Swim School - http://www.splashswimschool.com/
Happy Fish - http://www.swimhappyfish.com/
Fremont Swim School - http://www.americanswimacademy.com/fss/
West Coast Aquatics - http://www.westcoastaquatics.com/
Silliman Center - http://www.newark.org/play/recreation.html

Golf:
Pruneridge Golf Club - http://www.pruneridgegolfclub.com/
Nike Golf Camp - http://www.ussportscamps.com/golf/

Lacrosse:
Atherton Lacrosse Camp for beginner and intermediate levels and starts at age 5.

Baseball:
Rob Andrews Baseball Camps - http://www.robandrewsbaseball.com/index.html
SF Giants Baseball Camp - http://www.campchannel.com/summer-camps/San-Francisco-Giants-Baseball-Camps-1972.html

Many sports, including more unique ones like fencing, are represented on http://www.bayareakidfun.com/pages/sportslessons.html

Other interesting options to check out:

http://www.campunique.com/
http://www.huskyhouseforkids.org/
Adventure Day Camp - http://www.adventuredaycamp.com/
http://www.sfgokids.com/
JCC Summer Camps - in contra costa county: http://www.ccjcc.org/ or in oakland: http://www.jcceastbay.org/
Crystal Springs Uplands School camp - http://www.csus.org/

SF Zoo camps: http://www.sfzoo.org/
Bay Area Discovery Museum Camps: http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/
Chabot Space and Science Center: http://www.chabotspace.org/

Youth Science Institute: http://www.youthscience.org/
Mr. Shargel's Science Adventures: http://www.shargelscience.com/
The Explorers Club: http://www.eckidsclub.com/
Destination Science: http://www.destinationscience.org/
Camp Galileo: http://www.galileo-learning.com/

Renaissance School in Oakland: http://www.therenaissanceschool.org/
Children's Musical Theater: http://www.cmtsj.org/
Kids Culinary Adventures: http://www.kidsculinaryadventures.com/
Little Star Cafe: http://www.littlestarcafe.com/

Girl Scout Camp (you don't have to be a girl scout to register): http://www.camprocks.org/
Calero Ranch Stables: http://www.caleroranchstables.com/
Rawhide Ranch: http://www.rawhideranch.com/

UPDATE: If you are looking for some tips to get your kids into camp and overnight camp links, check out this article that came out today, 6/3/09 from todayshow.com.

Good Luck!

Easter is almost here!

People who celebrate Easter have different traditions. They go to church, they spend time with family and friends, they go on Easter egg hunts, they paint hard-boiled eggs, they exchange Easter baskets and the list goes on. As any holiday, the important thing is to take time with your family no matter how you wish to celebrate it. This lays the foundation for traditions that your children will always remember. I remember going to church, going to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and having ham for Easter dinner. During the holidays, such as Easter, my mom always made sure to invite those who did not have family or friends nearby or in town to spend the day with us so that they could enjoy that sense of familiar tradition too. Whatever you do for this weekend, remember to enjoy the moment! See below for a few activities going on around the Bay Area, if you need any suggestions.

Moraga Commons Park - Spring Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 11th at 9 am
West San Jose Community Center - Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 11th at 10 am
Glenmoor Gardens Easter in the Park at Meyer Park - Saturday, April 11th at 11 am
Little Vikings - Shoreline - Saturday, April 11th - Easter Egg Hunt at 3pm
Mosswood Park - Oakland - Saturday, April 11th - Easter Egg Hunt at 11 am
Newark Mall Farmers Market - Sunday, April 12th - Easter Egg Hunt

For more events, see http://upcoming.yahoo.com/ or http://www.when.com/.