San Diego Mom - Carmel Valley/Del Mar

I’ve known about Beach Grass Cafe for awhile, and honestly thought of it as a more expensive brunch and "date night" choice so I hadn’t been there in some time though I did enjoy the food when I’d went.

When Sue and I met this past month though, while hunting for our next breakfast spot in our continuing quest for the best breakfast spots in town - the breakfast menu looked too good to pass up.

Choices like the Rissoto Breakfast Brule with Creamy Arborio rice, scented with orange and burnt sugar crust should not be missed. I tried their breakfast pizza and was not dissapointed.  Their coffee is a local roasted brand and its yummy.  

 

 

 

They have two locations - one in Solana Beach on the 101 and another now in Encinitas.  Here’s a link to the breakfast menu: http://www.beachgrasscafe.signonsandiego.com/3.html 

 

The Junior League of San Diego is hosting a FREE family event on March 28 from 10am-2pm called Kids in the Kitchen.  It is an interactive health and wellness fair at the Toby Wells YMCA in Kearny Mesa that includes local chefs demonstrating/sampling healthy foods, fitness stations for kids, and more. 

Check out more information here: http://www.jlsd.org/?nd=kids_in_the_kitchen

I’ve never been to one of these events, but they’ll have interactive booths sharing information about health-related topics, such as reading a nutrition label, healthy snack alternatives, and the importance of wearing sunscreen and drinking water.  All good things.  Check it out if you can!

 

The car seat laws are straightforward, but our own comfort level about safety when your child is under 60 lbs but already 6 and older varies.  And again even after they get older and you need to consider when to permit them to leave the booster seat behind.  

This site offers a 5 step test to determine what is ideal for your child as they get older and how long they should remain in a booster even after they’ve long outgrown their carseat.  http://www.carseat.org/

 

I don’t usually write about time sensitive things - but I didn’t want to pass this one up.  Del Mar RaceTrack for most of us with little kids is a novelty, but not necessarily something we do a lot with the kids. Little ones don’t have the patience or attention span to last. 

But, there is a Family Day at the Race Track you may want to check out.  I haven’t been yet, and can’t this year.  But, I thought they did a good job of planning some fun things for little ones.

Its a traditional set of jumpee, pony rides, climbing walls, rides, etc. But, they have a fun make your own hat craft, (The Rad Hatter) which I think teaches a little about the traditions for the RaceTrack, and I liked that they are offering scramble slide and obstacle course too and lake elsinore baseball with clinics, whiffle ball and more for our kids who need to be active to be happy.     

http://www.delmarscene.com/family/family_weekends.htm 

Check it out and let us know what you think here! 

 

Thanks to a good friend who set up a private session for our playgroup, my 6 yr old just went through self defense, safety training that is well worth the time and minimal fee.

Check out http://www.radkids.org/ataglance.shtml 

Radkids is a program that is offered at various schools, local centers.  In San Diego I have heard of pre-schools bringing them in, and several instructors who will conduct a class of a group of friends.  Contact them directly to inquire.

What I liked about the program was that it is active - the kids can practice techniques they learn, including the kicking and yelling.  Sensitive subjects are dealt with in an age appropriate way (stranger danger and inappropriate touch) and topics we may have felt we covered well such as fire safety and traffic each had new recommendations or approaches I hadn’t thought of.

I highly recommend this program.  They also note that you can return to a Radkids program as many times as you wish for no additional cost until your child is 13.  A nice touch I thought as the techniques and topics will change as they get older. 

 

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/