Sexual Abuse and the Sex Offender Registry

No one wants to think about sexual abuse or believe that there is a sexual predator or someone who has been convicted of indecencies with a minor to be a neighbor. But, unfortunately, when these predators are released, they have to live somewhere. That is why it is important to know where they live. The Sex Offender Registry tells you and often even shows a picture to identify them. Please be educated and aware.

Monthly Tip is Back! Lunch Box Ideas

Although the school year is almost over, it is never too early to think about the next school year. Besides, lunch boxes are still needed for summer camps and picnics! So far this year, I have replaced lunchboxes twice and often find food coming back. So, I am on a constant quest not only for the freshest, healthiest, tastiest food but also the best lunch boxes. And, I am also realizing that I am using a lot of ziplock sandwich bags for my lunches...is it possible to be more eco-friendly with the food containers? So, looking for the perfect lunch, basically! So, this is what I found:

LUNCH BOXES -

Laptop lunch boxes: A couple of moms in Santa Cruz started this company to provide sturdy, eco friendly and fun lunch boxes for their kids. There are a variety of products to choose from including lunchboxes, bento box style - that come with reuseable containers which allows a nice display of the food in a way that doesn't crush it and gives your child an easy way to eat it. They also have stainless steel water bottles and bags to keep the lunch boxes refrigerated.

Fresh Snack Pack: This site has great alternatives to ziplock bags - in two great lunchbox ready sizes! One of my favs.

Fit Fresh: This site has easy reuseable containers, filtered water bottles and shakers and have new products such as sandwich and fruit salad pods coming soon.

Traditional Lunch Boxes at lunchboxes.com: This site has lead free traditional metal lunch boxes in your favorite characters, along with Sigg drinking bottles and canteens, insulated lunch boxes and even bento box style lunch boxes.

LUNCH BOX FOOD IDEAS-

Laptop Lunch Boxes site actually has food ideas too on their site for fresh, somewhat unique and interesting variety. I know from my kids that there has to be some variety...they tire of pb&j and apples every day!

Love to Know Recipes has great ideas for school lunches or lunches for kids on the go.

Healthy Eating Made Easy has great ideas for lunches for the whole family. Mixing it up with different kids of breads, tips on not packing sandwiches with cucumber (too slimey) and even a lunch box shopping list for easy lunches.

Saving Money on Meals

Are you having a hard time stretching your $ on your meals? I think everyone is trying to make their dollars go farther these days. And, luckily there are many ways and lots of sites that can help.

1. Make a meal plan every week so that when you plan your shopping list, you can find the best prices for the things on your list. You can even plan your meals based on the weekly specials at your supermarkets.

2. Use up everything you make. Left-overs should be eaten the next day for lunch or if enough, for another meal or frozen.

3. Buy only what you will eat in a week for the refrigerator. I know that I have had to throw away food and even left-overs when they are shoved to the back and not seen for over a week.

4. Farmer's Markets are the best for locally grown, healthy and low cost seasonal fruit and veggie options. There are several farmers' markets in one area on different days, so there is no excuse. See my Bargain Grocery Shopping previous posting for a link to find the one nearest you.

5. Online sites not only offer coupons (link also available on my Bargain Grocery Shopping posting) but also recipes for low cost meals. Check out this one - $5 Dinners - for recipes and tips for a great low-cost meal for the family!

Apple's Free Camp

Apple is offering Free Camp?! Wow! Now that is cool! Check out the link below. Apple is offering camp for kids 8-12 where they can use music, video and photos to create multimedia all with just a permission slip! They have these sessions at the retail outlets, so you should be able to call the store closest to you for more info. Check it out! Take me to Apple Camp!

Free Museum Schedule

Trying to find an inexpensive way to educate and delight the little ones this summer? How about a free day at the museum? This is a great family activity! We have so many museums in the Bay Area that we don't even realize how many of them are free any day of the week or certain days in the month. Here is a list of the schedule of free museum days...see you at the museum!

Always Free:

Palo Alto Junior Museum - young children especially - Palo Alto - 650-329-2111
Museum of American Heritage - 10+ years - Palo Alto - 650-321-1004
Cantor Arts Center - Palo Alto/Stanford Campus - 650-773-4177
Intel Museum - school age kids - Intel HQS Santa Clara
Nasa Exploration Center - great for school age kids - Moffet Field
Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History - Santa Clara - T/Sat only
Monarch Grove Sanctuary - Pacific Grove - Oct through Feb
Maritime Museum of Monterey - Monterey - 831-372-2608
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum - Santa Cruz - 831-420-6289
Randal Museum - SF - 415-554-9600
Cable Car Museum - SF - 415-474-1887
Chinese Culture Center Gallery - SF - 415-986-1822
Museum of Children's Art - Oakland - Gallery only - 510-465-8770

Free First Weekend with Bank of America card:
Yerba Buena Cneter for the Arts - limited children programs
Museum of the African Diaspora
DeYoung Museum
San Jose Museum of Art
The Tech Museum of Innovation

Free First Sunday:
Asian Art Museum - SF
Coyote Point Museum - San Mateo - great for small kids

Free Second Sunday:
The Tech Museum of Innovation - San Jose
Oakland Museum of California

Fremont Water Park Opens!

Aqua Adventure in Fremont next to Lake Elizabeth in Central Park has its opening this weekend! And, not a day too soon! Many of us have watched the construction of this water wonderland and wondered when it would open and give us a way to entertain the kids on those hot summer days! For this activity, tickets are very reasonable - $14.99 for Fremont residents over 4' and only $1 more for non-Fremont residents. $9.99 for little ones under 4' ($10.99 for non-Fremont residents) and $2.00 for those 3 years and under (which includes a swim diaper)! There is a pool, a network of water slides and a lazy river...something for everyone. Season Passes are also available.

Open Hours: M-F 11-4; Sat & Sun 11-5.

For more information: http://www.goaquaadventure.com/index.php

Earthquakes and Rock

The US Geological Society in Menlo Park is having an Open House from May 16-17th from 10-4 pm. What a great way to spend the day together with an educational family activity! There is no admission fee for this local event and there are dozens of fun hands on exhibits from panning for gold to watching earthquake simulation to becoming a rock detective. Lots of activities for all ages! For more information, check out the flyer or visit their exhibits on their web site here. Rocks rock!

Mother's Day Outings - 2009

There are many ways to celebrate Mother's Day - in family fanfare, with a nice brunch, relaxing at home with the kids, hiking with the family etc. There is no right or wrong way. But, we know that whatever we want to do, most likely WE will have to plan it. Men are just not used to planning social events. Let's face it, we make it too easy for them by doing the social calendar. My husband often asks, "what are we doing this weekend?" to keep up with our activities. So, if you are still looking for something to do, check out a few of these activities going on in the Bay Area on Sat and Sun that require little, if any $$$!

Saturday - May 9th:

Exploring the Antioch Dunes from 10-11. Take a 1.5 hour guided walk through the refuge. Free but wear sturdy shoes. www.fws.gov/refuges

Geology Rocks - Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Tiburon from 10-12 noon. Explore sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock formations. Registration required. Ages 5-8 for $15. http://richardsonbay.audubon.org/ or call 415-388-2524 for more info.

Mad Hatter Tea Party at Kensington - RabbittEars, 377 Colusa Ave. from 1-4 pm. Tea party with white rabbits (up for adoption), music, magic tricks and cookies with jam. Free. More info: 510-525-6155.

Make Mom Brunch at the Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse at 267 Buena Vista from 11-1 pm. Learn to make frittata, pb and j muffins, fruit truffles etc and serve it up on a decorated table. Registration required. Agest 4 and up. $31. More info at: http://www.millvalleycenter.org/

Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade - floats, bands and horses in Castro Valley for free. More info at: rowellranchrodeo.com

Heritage Fair in San Leandro Main Library with live entertainment, arts and crafts, international food and kids' activities - aclibrary.org or call 510-577-3971.

Mozart Matinee in El Cerrito Community Center at 11 am to introduce new youth-oriented concerts. $10 for adults; $5 for kids. More info at el-cerrito.org or 510-559-7000.

Playland Not At the Beach Museum is celebrating mom through a special tribute. 10-5pm . Free for all moms with kids buying a ticket for $10. playland-not-at-the-beach.org.

Sunday - May 10:

Koret Museum Days - free admission to 17 Bay Area museums. For more info, go to koretmuseumdays.org.

UC Botanical Garden - explore and discover how certain plants grow and pot your own plants to take home, 2:30 pm $20, $17 members for one adult and one child. 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley. For more info: botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu.

Concord Waterworld Opens for the season - 11:30-5. Slip and slide with mom! Check it out at http://www.waterworldcalifornia.com/.

Mother's Day in the Marsh - at SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso from 10-11:30. Explore the refuge with a slide show and a leisurely walk to learn of the animals and birds in the salt marsh. Free but registration is required. Fore more info: www.fws.gov/desfbay.

Oakland Zoo - free train rides for mom! Enjoy the animals and a fun train ride with mom. Check it out at http://www.oaklandzoo.org/.

Children's Music Concerts - Silly Sundays at Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley from 3-4pm. Today - Nigerian Brothers.

For more fun activities, check out the calendar sections in - http://www.parentspress.com/ or http://www.bayareaparent.com/ or http://www.tricityvoice.com/ or http://www.bayareamama.com/.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Bargain Grocery Shopping

Even if your lifestyle hasn't changed much with the economic downturn, you may find yourself looking for bargains more often than before and even resorting to cutting coupons in order to save money. Many people are finding ways to cut their grocery bills. A few ways to save money without changing your eating patterns too much are mentioned below.

Shopping at warehouse stores often gives you lower prices by buying in quantity. Those items you buy often or need in large quantities will cost less per serving this way. But, do your price comparisons ahead of time since you may not save money on everything.
- Costco
- Sam's Club

Shopping at retailers for food has become more common practice as these retailers have added food to their assortment and even supply their store brands at a lower cost than many brand name food products. Since you are often shopping there for other things, it is easy to pick up milk, yogurt, bread, cereal along with your diapers, shower gel, greeting cards etc.
- Target (my favorite)
- Walmart

Shopping at drug stores for food items sometimes works. Oftentimes, drug stores have certain products on sale to draw in customers, such as milk or ice-cream or even canned goods and tea. I don't necessarily recommend going there to satisfy most of your grocery needs, but you can save money on items you buy at the supermarket if you are there anyway.
- Rite Aid
- Walgreens
- Longs
- CVS

Shopping at the farmer's market is a great way to save money, eat green and often organic and save the environment by supporting local growers vs. transporting fruits and veggies across country. There are many farmer's markets in the area. To find the one closest to you, click here and enter your city or zip code.

Shopping with online coupons is all the rage these days. There are several sites that allow you to download coupons and print them out based on the products you frequently buy. Some provide you with the specials in the supermarkets that you frequent as well. This way, the coupons and specials "come to you" vs. having to sort through the Sunday paper and "go to them". Some sites to check out:
- http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/
- www.onlinecoupons.com/
- www.anycoupons.com/Food_&_Grocery.html
- www.couponsurfer.com/
- http://www.coupons.smartsource.com/
- http://www.couponcorner.net/
-http://www.couponmom.com/