San Diego Mom - Carmel Valley

I couldn’t resist a post about this.  Who doesn’t love ice cream and when its free… yum….

Soft Serve, Baskin-Robbins is inviting all expectant mothers to try a free cup or cone of Soft Serve for “Bump Day” on Wednesday, May 21. Moms-to-be can receive a free 3 oz. cup or cone of Soft Serve between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. at participating Baskin-Robbins stores in California.  Check out www.baskinrobbins.com/bumpday to find the nearest store location and details.

Enjoy! 

 

This surf camps is for 6 yr olds and older.  The two instructors have years of experience in YMCA, public school and other settings.  I don’t have personal experience with them but the program was recommended by a friend.

www.solsurfcamp.com

If you check it out, let us know what you thought! 

 

A continuation in our quest for the best breakfast spots, my friend Sue and I met this month at Richard Walker’s downtown and while we had to wait in the line a few minutes, we were rewarded with yummy food, a great casual yet elegant spot in the heart of a fun neighborhood downtown.

http://www.richardwalkers.com/ 

The nice surprise for me, was reading the menu and instantly noting the familiar dutch and german pancake from a childhood favorite of mine in Chicago Walker Brothers.  Turns out to be related ownership and no question the quality and attention to flavor is consistent.

 

 

The spot is small, cozy, service is excellent and we had a great time.  Highly recommend this spot. 

 

This is a neat online game for parents to use with kids who might be nervous about a dentist visit.  Or, for kids who won’t accept that brushing is a requirement! 

http://www.mouthpower.org/mouthpower.cfm 

The game has a cute mouth as the navigator/narrarator that shows kids what happens if you don’t brush or floss, explains tools in use at a dentist visit, etc.  Its put together by a museum of Dentistry and University of Maryland/Baltimore. 

 

If you’re like me, you’re knee deep in summer camp brochures right about now.   I confess, my 5 yr old is still i think too young for surf camp, but I know I want to do it when she’s more confident in the water.  This surfing camp for little ones has been recommended to me, so I thought I’d pass it on.

http://www.menehunesurf.com/ 

I don’t have personal experience with them, but they have lessons from 5 yrs up.   Write in and share with the San Diego Mom community if you can say anything about your experience there.

 

I don’t know much about this group, but it appears to be community theatre option for children who love to perform, ages 5-17.  They are holding open auditions for ages 7-17 for Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (my favorite show to do!)

Web site: http://www.cyctheatre.org  

Performances are at the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza.  For info call: 619-944-7574 

Past shows have included: Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors and Ragtime.

 

We all try to read the recall notices, but you still worry its not enough to be sure the toys your kids play with are safe.

http://www.healthytoys.org/ 

They test the toys out there and they are giving you a rating on things like level of lead, arsenic and and mercury.  They lay out why these chemicals are bad and what they can do to your children.  And they let you submit a toy and ask that it be tested.

I liked looking through their worst and best toys - and of course you can search for an item you suspect could be a problem and if they’ve tested it you can a very detailed answer. 

 

As long as I’m on this topic this week, I thought I’d add another one of these "find a sitter" options.  Haven’t used them, but the site offers not only help to find a sitter, but a pet sitter, tutors and even housekeepers. 

Similar to others posted in this category, the model is to pay a monthly fee (in this case minimum of $25/mo) but what’s nice about this company is you get free backgound checks included in that fee.  A free membership will only allow you to search and see limited info (no contact info) but permits you to post some jobs. 

http://www.care.com/ 

I admit, I like the way this is set up - though I have no idea if the sitters are high quality or not.  They give you an easy way to see who lives near you, how old they are, their yrs of experience and how much they charge. Its easy to use.   If anyone tries it, pls leave comments so we can all learn from your experience. 

 

There’s a new Mommy business in town.  They are heralding a new way to find a sitter.  If you’ll part with$100 for new clients, and  $75 for returning clients, they’ll introduce you in a private party setting to 30 babysitters who live in the area.  (Fees for the sitter’s time is extra.)

The membership earns you the right to a booklet/directory of sitters as well. http://www.mommymixer.com/sandiego/ is the page which shows dates and times. 

Watch the details: you need to cancel within 72 hrs before to get a refund and they’ll take $25 fee to process the refund request.

Its essentially a dating service - in the hopes you’ll like one of their sitters and the relationship will work out - you’re paying for the easy access to potential sitters.  Note, they have not performed background checks on the sitters, so you’ll still need to confirm they’re a safe choice, etc.

Promotion Offered: MommyMixer is offering a $15 off for first time users for the first event in San Diego.  Just print this page and they’ll honor it.

 

This is another resource that provides the location/residences of felons who may live nearby.  It provides you with the map of the area around your address, and identifys the felons by name and location who are nearby.

 

 

I try to avoid the controversial, political and the like here. But, when I run across a book or resource that seems to provide information we don’t get in the mainstream press, I like to share it.

Of particular note, when I run across women who lived under islamic rule, who are willing to talk candidly about their experiences I appreciate the risk they take to do so and feel its worth sharing. 

Two books to check out:  

Nonie Darwish author of "Now They Call Me Infidel": Why I renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror.

Brigitte Gabriel author of "Because They hate" written by a survivior of islamic terror  - http://www.americancongressfortruth.com/books.asp 

 

Someone sent me this link, and I don’t have any personal experience with her.  But, for people with serious clutter issues and no motivation.  This seems like a great option!

Just like the TV show, this woman will come to your house and work on your closets, organize toys and claims she’ll teach you methods to do these things on an on-going basis as well. 

She’s here in San Diego County - visit her web site at: http://www.theenglishorganizer.com

Let us know what you think if you give it a try! 

 

I organize a variety of community based activities and classes.  Managing the waitlists, registrations for events, and handling payments has always been a challenge.  I ran across Eventbrite.com last year and started using it and its made my life a lot easier.

The main functionality is free: create events, gather sign ups, publish the method to sign up on your web site or in emails, add specific questions to the registration, collect key information, customize a variety of aspects. They will publish the event in their directory as well.  They have decent reporting functionality and great confirmations via email as well.

You pay, if you use the site for payment for an event.  You pay of course your vendor who manages the payment (% goes to Paypal or Google) and you also pay 3% or so to EventBrite.  I stopped using it for payment for this reason.  You can also pay for other upgraded features.   

http://www.eventbrite.com/r/sandiegomom 

Sedona is breathtaking - red rock and dirt/ground appearing out of nowhere on the drive up.  The mountains and sunsets make for amazing memories.

Where to stay: One terrific, luxurious place if you want to spend $250ish a night is the Hilton.  Their suites provide you with privacy if you want the kids in their own space, and a fireplace in the master for you. 

Alternatively, we just stayed for $150/night at the Kings Ransom and the room was clean (takes pets) and the restaurant a huge surprise turns out to be one of the best places in town with a chef from Pheonix who just opened his place there. 

Food at Elota was mexican/fusionish and was amazing.  Have the skirt steak in blue cheese and the corn chowder/soup…tomato and cheese appetizer, everything was excellent.  And you didn’t have to brave the cold to go out for dinner. 

I spent some time looking through reviews on tripadvisor for restaurants.  Here’s what I found people recommended: The only other one we went to was Picazzos.  Every bit as good as they said. Pizza was thin crust and special, salads excellent. Great food, if you want to avoid take out and sit in a nice atmosphere.  Even for kids. 

 

Pizza place with some variety to the menu - italian with great pizza - http://www.picazzos.com/

Great selection/variety to the menu, good reviews - http://www.heartlinecafe.com

Cowboy club - family ok too - but angus steaks etc make it more high end in pricing. http://www.cowboyclub.com/

Supposed to be a great mexican place, chef had restaurant in phoenix, a little different in taste. Was terrific! http://www.kingsransomsedona.com/Cafe_Elote_Dinner_Menu.pdf

Nicer Places, less Family Friendly

http://www.dahlanddiluca.com/

http://www.tlaq.com/store_El_Rincon.cfm - at tlaquepaque shopping center

http://www.shugrues.com/
 
 

 

This mom created some really good online games for toddlers.  I especially like the spelling and games sections (connect the dots, and puzzles). 

She also included a section that is educational about feelings and one on cleaning the environment. (Clean up the park, recycle)

The site is easy to navigate and what I like is that I think this is a site my two toddlers (5 and 2) could play together. There are more simple click on a image to hear a sound games, as well as those that require some knowledge like spelling or mouse skills like connect the dots.

http://www.juliasrainbowcorner.com/html/funandgames.html 

There  is another page too with games for kids 5 and up.  I liked the virtual garden, and thought the create a story section was great to do with your kids.  They pick the words, verbs, nouns, etc.  Then it puts them together into a one page story.  Nicely done.

http://www.fun4brains.com/ 

Enjoy. 

This is a salon I used a lot until recently.  I found the hairstylists to be well trained and sweet.  They were using primarily Aveda products but were recently purchased by a National Chain/Hotel - Carlton Hair so they are plugging some other products too now.

Located in Carmel Valley in the shopping Center on Del Mar Heights rd,  they are convenient if you live in the area.   But, pricey.  And, also, it can be tough to get appointments.  An annoyance for me as I don’t have a lot of flexibilty in my schedule.

Carlton Hair/Ecotique
Del Mar Highlands Town Ctr II
12925 El Camino Real Ste J5
San Diego, California 92130
(858) 794.8991

http://www.carltonhairinternational.com/ 

 

We are so lucky and so unlucky at the same time.  My heart goes out to the families who have lost their homes.  For them and for those of us lucky enough to have been spared - most likely due to luck and some amazingly hard work of our firefighters - visit the following links for easy access to indoor gyms to find things to do with your kids.

Several are offering free play time or low cost playtime for families in San Diego to ensure we have some safe options while we wait for air quality to come back to normal.

 http://sandiegomom.blogsome.com/category/for-locals-finding-daily-fun/

 http://sandiegomom.blogsome.com/category/active-play-classes/

 

Related to the Menehune Surf school, this school is for girls teaching them the art and discipline of surfing. 

 
They advertise as "helping girls connect with themselves, their peers, and the ocean."  A little earthy crunchy, but I think the gist is that they provide a safe and nurturing environment for girls to learn to surf.  And that appeals to me.

They offer camps (half day/full day) and also clinics, lessons, overnight and after school.  Ages 5-18.  Even birthday parties.  Locations in Del Mar, La Jolla Shores and Oceanside. 

 

http://oceangirlsurfschool.com/ 

 

Ok, its worth a 2nd post as I’ve written about the World Beat Center in Balboa Park before.  But, if you haven’t been yet to a class at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park you have no idea what you’re missing.   

This week-end I took a group of my friends and it was an unbelievable experience.  Our instructor Nana Yaw Asiedu was exceptional.  Fun, warm, sense of humor, great with kids.  They accomodated us with finding drums for everyone (and we were a huge crowd - nearly 40 or more families) and he had us all engaged. 

The drums were varied, shakers for each child, similarly varied, we learned African language, we heard African Stories, we learned dances.  Nana kept the program age appropriate, but managed to keep adults, children ages 2-12 engaged.

Make visiting the World Beat Center a priority.  You won’t be sorry.  Classes are offered throughout the week.  If you have a private group they will work with you on a class on your own.

http://www.worldbeatcenter.org/Classes_New.html