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Archive for June, 2006
Road Trips With Kids
It’s officially here! The first day of summer was this week, and now it’s time to find ways to entertain our kids. One true and tested form of fun for families has been the road trip. Be it to Disneyland, or even covering mulitple states, parents have packed up the kids and the car (or these days probably the SUV or minivan) since the invention of the automobile.
Below you will find some tips on how to make your road trip fun for everyone. Happy travels!!
Vacation Plus: On the Road with Children
Unless we enjoy the benefit of living in a walking city or have access to quality mass transit, most of us spend a great deal of time in our cars – commuting, running errands, and transporting our children. A chauffer may be on the wish list of many busy parents. With all the supplies we carry in the car, the snacks we munch, and the quick changes from school clothes to soccer cleats, our cars have become our home away from home. So what about summer vacations on the road? Can traveling in our car for hundreds of miles with our children really be a vacation? Sure, if we’re up for adventure. There are plenty of family destinations in every community, whether for a day trip, a week vacation, or even a cross-country adventure.
How do we fend off boredom, restlessness, and car sickness on the road? Here are a few tips to make the ride a little smoother. So pack up the car and buckle your seat belts. Even car travel can be great family fun.
Keep Your Hands Off My Piggy Bank
Say it isn’t so. Are Australian parents that hard up for cash that they sneak around and “borrow” from their kids?
Who’s to say this only happens down under, I wonder what a similar study would show right here in the US? At least they admit to spending it on necessities for the family.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - One in four Australian parents regularly “borrow” money from their children’s piggy banks to pay for anything from bread to luxury holidays, a survey said Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENTMums are more than twice as likely to raid their children’s savings than dad, with 35 percent of mothers confessing to the crime compared with 16 percent of fathers.
But almost 9 out of 10 still believed they were setting a good example of financial management for their tiny tycoons.
More School Food In the News
This is kind of a follow up to the previous article posted regarding school lunches. This article reports that most states fail at providing healthy food for their students. They did not include the actual meals for the students, but something tells me that wouldn’t have helped at all.
At some point, parents are going to have to play a more active role in what their kids are eating at school.
Believe it or not, Kentucky leads the nation with the healthiest vending machines! We should all take note.
By BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Nearly half of all states received a failing grade in a school foods report card issued Tuesday by a nonprofit group that evaluated school nutrition policies.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, based in Washington, D.C., gave an F to 23 states and a D to eight others after evaluating school policies regarding foods and beverages sold in campus vending machines, school stores and school fundraisers.
The evaluation excluded school meal programs.
The nation’s highest grade, an A-, was awarded to Kentucky, where school vending machines are filled with bottled water and dried fruit instead of soda and snack cakes.
Disco Baby San Francisco
I’m kind of bummed we missed this. I had no idea it was even happening in SF this past weekend. For all of those parents who feel like they now miss out on the life they used to enjoy so much, here is an idea to at least experience one aspect — with your kids in tow! Sounds like moms, dads and kids enjoyed the day and it was a huge hit..
They were fighting in the lobby, peeing in the hallway and nodding off on the dance floor.
It wasn’t the kind of behavior the burly bouncers standing watch over the velvet rope at Ruby Skye, a sleek nightclub in downtown San Francisco, usually tolerate. On Saturday, however, they were simply outnumbered.
Baby Loves Disco, the monthly traveling dance party for swivel-hipped toddlers and their culturally deprived parents, had rolled into town. Shortly after the doors opened at 2 p.m., the place was so packed that Sarah Mallace, who was working the list, had to get tough.
Happy Father’s Day!
After all the hoopla surrounding Mother’s Day, one of my favorite black intellectuals Chris Rock puts the appreciation of fathers in the proper perspective…
Everybody takes Daddy for granted. Everything’s Mama. Dear Mama. Always loved my Mama. What’s the Daddy song? “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone.” Nobody appreciates Daddy.
Now, Mama’s got the roughest job. l ain’t gonna front. But at least people appreciate Mama. Every time Mama do something right, Mama gets a compliment… ’cause women need to hear compliments all the time.
Women need food, water, and compliments. That’s right. And an occasional pair of shoes. That’s right. Women got to hear it all the time, or they lose their minds.
And get Daddy to make sure you thank your Mama for everything. Tell your Mama how good the food is. Tell her how nice the house looks. Tell your Mama how nice her hair looks.
“Did you tell your Mama? You better go in there and tell your Mama!” That’s right. Tell your Mama! Tell your Mama! Tell your Mama!
Nobody ever tells Daddy sh*t. Read more »
The Joys of 10-12 Months
Since we are just entering this age range, I thought it might be fun to share what the “experts” have to say about babies between 10-12 months. It is a really fun time, although it probably also marks the end of an immobile child.
There are also some good tips on how to help your baby’s development along. Of course, they all do things at different times. Sometimes it’s hard not to compete with the other babies, but I’ve realized, they all get there eventually.
Infant development: What happens from 10 to 12 months?
Provided by: MayoClinic.com
Your baby continually scrambles out of your range of vision. Nothing makes him or her happier than dropping a spoon from the highchair over and over again. As for you — if you aren’t stifling the urge to say “No!” chances are you’ve already said it for the 10th time in the last hour. Welcome to life with a 10- to 12-month-old!
Always One Step Ahead
Hard to really believe, but according to this article. Our kids are finding a new way to facilitate communication with their cell phones. Just when we thought we could prevent them from using their phones in school, some genious figures out how to create a ring tone that the teachers apparently can’t hear. Go figure, will they ever stop outsmarting us? Let’s hope not 
NEW YORK - Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class, and many teachers can’t even hear the ring.
Some students are downloading a ring tone off the Internet that is too high-pitched to be heard by most adults. With it, high schoolers can receive text message alerts on their cell phones without the teacher knowing.
Potrero Hill Library: June News
LIBRARY NEWS
June 2006
BRANCH RENOVATION UPDATE
Plans are moving forward for branch renovation. In order to enlarge the branch by extending the second floor over the library’s existing first floor, the design must come before the city’s Planning Department for review. A notice will be posted at the branch announcing the upcoming variance hearing. If you haven’t seen the design yet, stop by the library today to get a close-up look. You can also check the library’s website at http://sfpl.org/news/blip/potrerosurvey.htm and click on “Design Plans”. For further information about the Branch Library Improvement Program, please call 415/557-4354.
And on a related noted: Potrero Hill residents had the opportunity last month to meet artist Gina Telcocci, who will be creating an artwork for the renovated branch. Ms. Telcocci is a sculptor who creates three-dimensional artworks with plants and other natural materials. For further information about the new Potrero Branch artwork process, call Judy Moran, Arts Commission Public Art Project Manager, at 415/252-2586.
FOR TEENS THIS SUMMER
If you are between the ages of 13 and 18, you can join the library’s TEEN SUMMER READ 2006, which runs from June 16 through July 28. Come in and sign up, keep track of what you read and your time, fill out a “Comment Card” for each 10 hours of reading that you do, and receive prizes for reading!
SOMETHING FOR CHILDREN
“Don’t Bug Me…I’m Reading” is the theme for San Francisco Public Library’s 2006 Summer Reading Club, which runs from June 17 through August 12. The purpose of the Summer Reading Club is to encourage children to keep reading during the summer. Preschool-age children also can participate by having someone read to them. All children up through age 13 who join the club and participate will receive small incentive prizes for reading, and upon completion of reading for eight or more hours, will receive a grand prize. Grand prize options include the following: paperback books, theme-related toys, and passes to Bay Area museums and attractions such as the Presidio Bowling Center, the California Academy of Sciences, Bay Area Discovery Museum, ZEUM, and San Francisco Zoo. Come to the library for more details.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS IN JUNE
In conjunction with the Summer Reading Club, Potrero Library will have many free programs for children throughout the summer, thanks to funding from the Friends of the Library. Here’s the lineup of this month’s special programs:
Thursday, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. “Snuggle Bunny Sing-Along”, featuring storyteller and singer Sheila Rubin. For children of all ages.
Wednesday, June 28 at 2:00 p.m. Live from the Insect Discovery Lab! Fascinating bugs come to the library. For children ages 5 and up.
There are also other programs for children throughout the month:
Infant/toddler lapsit, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes on Thursdays, June 1, 15, and 29 at 10:30 a.m. For children newborn through age 3.
Evening storytime on Tuesdays, June 6, 20, and 27 at 7:00 p.m. For ages 3 to 7 years old.
Evening films on Tuesday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.: “Let’s Give Kitty a Bath”, “The Ceterpillar and the Polliwog” and “The Foolish Frog”. For ages 3 and older.
Please note: All library programs are free. Meeting room is not accessible by elevator. Groups, please call in advance for reservations.
Jensa Woo
Potrero Branch Library Manager