From the category archives:

Bay Area

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Use scissors to get kids cooking

February 1, 2012

Reprinted from the wayback machine cuz I’m super busy today. Holden and I used to cook together a lot. Before his little brother Milo joined our family, Holden would stand by my side at the kitchen sink and crack eggs, stir with a whisk, or rip greens for a salad. Unfortunately, I must confess, I [...]

Activity #177: Join a museum

November 21, 2011

Like they used to say on TV, membership has it’s privileges. Both of the Bay Area children’s museums that I have been to are part of a consortium of Children’s Museums that have reciprocal memberships. This means that if you get a one-year membership at Habitot in Berkeley, for example, you can go to the [...]

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Test drive some baby classes

October 10, 2011

Most classes for babies provide a free trial experience. Take advantage of these freebies before committing to a paid class. Try to talk your other mama friends into joining you so it’s the most fun for YOU. Your 41st weekly challenge is to contact a local music, dance, or exercise class for moms and babies, [...]

Link love: Mom Inc, Daily

June 22, 2011

One of the blogs in my Google Reader is Mom Inc, Daily. I was introduced to it by Mom Inc, Daily contributor, Jackie, a neighborhood friend and designing mom. The founder, Cat, is a stationery designer in San Francisco. She launched the blog as a place for her and fellow designing moms to capture some [...]

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Build muscles at bootcamp

June 6, 2011

If you are like I was, by the time my baby was 10 weeks old, I had not exercised for about 6 months. Baby Bootcamp was my re-introduction to sweating and I loved it. I am not a gym-goer in my normal life, and Baby Bootcamp was perfect for me. Here’s why: Exercising in the [...]

Activity #207: Play in another kind of nursery

May 30, 2011

Your weekly challenge is to enjoy the rainbow of colors at an outdoor plant nursery. Let her touch/listen to the wind chimes on display, tour the orchid hot-house, and watch the koi in the water garden pond (the bright-colored fish swarm up to greet kids because they expect food). A baby carrier is perfect to [...]

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Activity #263: Enjoy modern art

March 21, 2011

A fun suggestion from our friend and fellow rookie mom, Rosa, is to pack yourself up and head into the city for a museum outing. Assume you go to a cocktail party sometime soon. When someone asks what you do, instead of mumbling about maternity leave or bursting into tears when you think about how [...]

Activity #173: Chase the garbage truck

March 9, 2011

My friend Mike used to take his toddler Miles out for Garbage Truck Friday each week without fail. They did it for years. Their routine included picking up muffins from the local bakery and following the garbage truck all over Oakland for an hour or so. It was something that they both looked forward to. [...]

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Go to the theater where crying is allowed

February 28, 2011

Baby-friendly theaters? Yes, please. We sure love our DVRs and Hulu, but refuse to give up on going to the theater. Did you know some theaters also have special showings for new parents? These showings have different names in different cities, but the idea that yours will not (most likely) be the loudest baby in [...]

Activity #62: Paint your baby’s feet

February 7, 2011

Our challenge for you this week is slather your baby’s feet with paint and commemorate their tiny size. Many paint-your-own-pottery places know how to help you get cute baby footprints on plates and mugs. This is your sixth challenge. We made trivets (the cheapest pottery available was a flat tile). I recommend tackling the cheaper [...]

We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!

Activity #208: Pitch a tent

December 28, 2010

My friend Jeanine once told me there’s lots of fun time to be had with a baby at an outdoor store like REI: you just set up a sweet pad in the display tent with several of the Thermarest mattresses, chirping bird toys, and bright colored water bottles and have a blast. The first time [...]

Activity #204: Give the gift of “experience”

December 8, 2010

Three easy steps to a super cheap (FREE + GREEN) thoughtful gift: THINK about your friend. Really think about them. What does she need? More time away from the kids? Time to run a great trail? An excuse to try the newest brunch place? Write out some fun ideas. Use your markers or different fonts [...]

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