Archive for March, 2009

Dooce.com is arguably the most popular personal blog on the Internet, but that doesn’t mean you’ve heard of it, or its author, Heather Armstrong. Suffice it to say that the (forgive me) mother of all mommy bloggers has been at it for almost a decade, a decade during which she became pregnant with her daughter, had the baby, and then descended into a hellish postpartum depression that landed her in a mental hospital, all of which she documented on Dooce.com. In her new book, It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita, Armstrong tells her story, and any mom who ever soaked through a onesie with tears could probably relate.

Will Armstrong’s book, which details why she went off antidepressants when she became pregnant, and why she weaned early to get back on them, become the next Operating Instructions, beloved of women with newborns about which they have such secretly ambivalent feelings? Or is it just another ho-hum confessional rant? It’s too early to tell, but the subject matter, a fresh topic in mommy-confession land, is certainly ripe for exploration.

Armstrong’s book tour brings her to the Bay Area tomorrow, when she’ll read from and sign copies of It Sucked at 7:30pm at Books Inc., 301 Castro Street (at W. Dana Street) in Mountain View; call 650-428-1234 or visit booksinc.net.

Locomotive fetishes afflict a sizable number of young children. If you live in the house with a young railroad nut, a wonderful day/weekend trip to take is a ride on the Amtrak Capital Corridor Train to Sacramento for a visit to the California State Railroad Museum. The Capital Corridor, which takes off nine times daily and connects with BART and Caltrain stations from San Jose to Martinez, is no gliding light rail line. It’s a real, big, clickety-clack train with seats and a guy who punches your tickets and a dining car where you can loll and play Go Fish and watch the world go by.

Even cooler: the Capital Corridor Sacramento terminus is within walking distance of the California State Railroad Museum depot. Wander over and take one of the departing-every-hour steam trains on its gorgeous route around the Sacramento River; maybe spend some time checking out Old Sacramento. With a two-hour train ride either way, it’s a heroic day trip that’ll never be forgotten.

The Amtrak Capital Corridor Train has weekday and weekend trains; call 877-974-3322 or visit amtrakcapitols.com; the California State Railroad Museum is located at 111 I Street (at First Street), Sacramento; call 916-445-6645 or visit csrmf.org.

Travel back in time (metaphorically, duh) into the long-ago landscape that was the San Francisco Bay before the people showed up. And what did it look like? Hint: There was no water in the Bay until the last Ice Age floods covered a valley. What we think of as islands (Treasure, Alcatraz) are actually the tops of hills.

Learn more from a Bay Model docent, who will demonstrate what time hath wrought on the model. If you haven’t taken the time to bring your kids there yet, now’s your chance; the real, working model is mesmerizing, a perfect small copy of the beautiful Bay and its related waterways: the Sacramento Delta, the San Pablo Bay. Watch the water ebb and flow under the bridges, past the mountains, out to the salt flats and the vast ocean. Maybe now they’ll listen when you tell them to turn off the bathroom faucet.

When: Sat., 3/28, 11am; Age 4+; Free.

Where: Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway Boulevard (at Marinship Way), Sausalito; 415-332-3871; spn.usace.army.mil.

Spring has sprung, and the bright sun outside means it’s time to get out of the house.

Spring Fling at Fioli

The garden center throws a springtime party with costumed characters, arts and crafts for kids, a puppet show and a magician. There’s a dog show, alpacas to pet, garden tours, plantings, and other nature-y goodness.

When: Sat. 4/28, 10am-3:30pm; Age 3+; $20 Adult, $5 Age 5-17, 4 and under free.

Where: Filoli, 86 Canada Road, (at Edgewood Road), Woodside, 650-364-8300, Ext. 508, fioli.org.

Outdoor Exploratorium

The famous children’s science museum heads outside in this set of 14 cool interactive exhibits at Fort Mason. Find out how to use the Golden Gate Bridge as a thermometer, decode the light patterns that bring in ships from the water, and see a mirage. Maps of the exhibit are available at the Fort Mason Office in Building A.

When: Ongoing daily (exhibit is permanent), open during daylight hours; Age 2+; Free.

Where: Fort Mason, Marina Boulevard (at Buchanan Street), San Francisco; 415-561-0360; exploratorium.edu.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

The Young Performers Theatre takes on the classic story of Aladdin in this light, non-scary comedy with teen and tween actors.

When: Sat., 4/28 1pm and Sun., 4/29, 1 and 3:30 pm; $10 Adults; $7 13 and under.

Where: Fort Mason Center, Building C, Marina Boulevard (at Buchanan Street), ypt.org.

Musical Mysteries: The Composer Is Dead
Author Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events) narrates as the San Francisco Symphony performs The Composer is Dead, a musical murder mystery in which the audience has to help find clues to nab the culprit.

When: Sun., 3/29, 2pm; Age 7+; $15-55 Adults; $7.50-27.50 Children.

Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (at Turk Street), San Francisco, 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.

“Kids love swimming,” you say to yourself grimly, as once more your child pitches a fit when you get to the pool. “You should be loving this!” But she isn’t. Although most children love going in the water from infancy, the indoor swimming spots typically available to urban kids are a nightmare for those sensitive to sounds or nervous about being watched. Loud screams and splashes echo off the tiled walls; water gets in your eyes; and there’s some instructor hounding you to put your face in the water when you’d rather get out of the pool and run far, far away. Worst of all, there’s tense mom on the sidelines, watching the several hundred bucks she spent for swimming lessons slide slowly into the “money down the drain” category.

Anderson Swim School in Pacifica knows how to handle these kids. The pool is clean and warm, instructors are gentle and willing to jolly along children who are having a tough time with the lessons. Students generally start out with private lessons, $225 for seven 30-minute one-on-ones with an instructor; and can move on to semi-private lessons, 2-3 kids plus an instructor, once they’re more comfortable in the water. Semi-private lessons are $175 for seven lessons.

Whichever package you get, the instructors are experienced in dealing with kids having water issues. They don’t push, they don’t force, they don’t raise their voices. But they get kids comfortable in the water, and then they teach them to swim, while mom or dad sits on the sidelines, finally getting a break.

Anderson Swim School is located at 541 Oceana Boulevard (at Manor Drive), Pacifica. Call 650-355-3050 or visit andersonswim.com.

Tucked away in a quiet spot close to Stinson Beach, Slide Ranch is like the Land That Time Forgot. There’s a little old farmhouse with a flock of cheeping chickens, roaming goats and sheep, and waddling ducks, plus organic gardens you can wander in. Milk a goat, then pick a few sage or mint leaves to get the smell off your hands. Feed the chickens, pet the little baby goats, with their sweet pink-tongued mouths; it’s such wholesome family fun you’ll practically hear banjo music.

After the farm scene palls (preferably after you’ve had a picnic on the Slide Ranch grounds; don’t forget to pack out your garbage as the Ranch has no trashcans), take a hike along the coastal trail towards the beach. If you’re lucky, the tide will be out and you can walk along the tidepools checking out the anemones and starfish.

Slide Ranch (so named because it slides down the hill towards the beach, an inch every few years), is open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm, and is located at 2025 Shoreline Highway in Muir Beach; call 415-381-6155 or visit slideranch.org.

Whether a child has developmental delays or just isn’t socially adept, watching him get rejected on the playground repeatedly is something close to a parent’s worse nightmare. But you can’t teach a child to make friends…can you? Social skills training says yes, you sure can.

These types of classes meet weekly, and enrolled students are taught the finer points of skills like listening conversationally, resolving conflicts peacefully, and gracefully entering and leaving social groups (like, say, a bunch of kids gathered over by the slides). Teachers generally introduce a new concept, for instance, controlling inappropriate laughter, do some role-playing with the kids, and then give the kids time to hang out and just practice with a sympathetic adult at the ready to smooth the waters if necessary.

Usually these types of classes take place at hospitals or schools, where you must be enrolled or have insurance coverage to attend. But family support center TALK Line is now offering a 10-week series, Getting Along Together, free of charge to kids age 7 to 11. Classes meet each Thursday; students may start attending any time, but enrollment is required.

TALK Line is located at 1757 Waller Street (at Stanyan Street), San Francisco, the Getting Along Together series meets Thursdays from 5 to 6:30pm. Call Leslie Davidson at 415-387-3684, ext. 422 for more information.

Plenty of girls dream about their Cinderella moment on prom night, but for kids who can’t afford things like $500 limo rides, afterparties, and fancy dresses, the dream’s out of reach. One San Francisco charity can give girls a head start on the dress, at least.

Since 2002, The Princess Project has been handing out gently-used donated dresses to promgoers in need. Girls can either organize into groups of ten or more for private boutique showings, or come to one of the dress giveaway events in the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, or East Bay. Either way, girls can hand-pick what they want from a stash of hundreds of dresses and accessories in all sizes and colors, without paying a dime.

It’s getting close to prom time now, so all the boutique spots are filling up, but there are still giveaway events to come. The next one is in March 28 at the Embarcadero Center 4, Sacramento Street (at Drumm Street), San Francisco, 9am-4pm. Girls who want dresses/boas/purses/jewelry/etc., need bring only a high-school idea and an adult female companion (Mom, Grandma, a friend). No financial information is needed. For more information, visit princessproject.org.

Pet a chincilla, make your own star-bellied Sneetch suit, and more fun around the Bay.

Jay Alexander’s Once-a-Year Family Show

Jay Alexander is justifiably famous in local parenting circles for this fun magic show, which will have parents giggling and children’s jaws dropping.

When: Sun., 3/22, 11am; Age 3+; $7

Where: Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco, 510-236-7469, randallmuseum.org.

Invasion of the Land Animals

Come get a close-up sneak peek at the land-dwelling animals that will be in three new Aquarium of the Bay exhibits in April. This week you’ll meet n African pygmy hedgehog and a soft chinchilla.

When: Sat., 3/21, 1-3pm; Age 3+; Free with museum admission, $8-15.95.

Where: Aquarium of the Bay, Pier 29, Embarcadero at Beach Street, San Francisco, 415-623-5300, aquariumofthebay.com.

Free Breakfast at IKEA

Gulp down a small breakfast plate and coffee for free (retail value $1.98) before dropping off your kids at the handy IKEA kid-watch room and browsing. Hey, it’s almost like a date!

When: Fri.-Sun., 9:30-10:30am; All ages; Free.

Where: IKEA, 4400 Shellmound Street (at 40th Street) Emeryville, 510-420-4532, ikea.com.

Dr. Seuss Storytime

In celebration of the National Education Associations’s Read Across America Month, Zeum throws a weekly party with a reading of a Seuss story, and activities in the main gallery including constructing a Seussian garment, writing your own swinging rhymes.

When: Ongoing each Sunday in March including 3/22, 11am-noon; Age 3-8; Free with admission, Free-$10.

Where: Zeum, 221 Fourth Street (at Howard Street), 415-820-3320, zeum.org.

First-round assignments for incoming San Francisco Unified School District kindergarteners have just gone out, and at least 948 local families are currently writhing in agony, having received none of the seven schools they signed up for in the torturous SFUSD lottery system. Still other families are evaluating what they got with varying degrees of unhappiness, asking themselves questions like Can I really get to 40th and Cabrillo by 7:15 a.m.? and Is it worth putting up with getting our seventh-choice school to avoid the hell that is the second-round lottery?

With all the pain there is to go around, conversation is heating up again at the SF K Files, the definitive blog on the SFUSD assignment process.  Forget the SFUSD’s official bulletins; this is the blog with the real down-and-dirty, including the controversy over sibling assignments artificially swelling the percentage of parents the SFUSD claims got a first-round assignment, and the lightning-fast opening of new elementary school De Avila.

Though the blog mistress, a San Fran mom who started the blog when seeking an assignment for one of her two children, posts frequently on various topics, the real action is on the comments board, with useful insider gossip and advice, as well as snarky commentary from cranky parents.