Mendo Lake Family Life April 2014

mendo lake

Lake County Time Bank

April 2014

A Thriving New Economy Visit These

3

Inspired Gardens

Great Ways to

Feed Your Child Brain Food

Camp Fair & Family Expo April 11th

3:30–7:30 p.m. FREE

Join Us Early Childhood Morning April 26

Parents with children ages 2 & 3 are invited to attend & bake bread, puppet play, playground play & Waldorf Q&A

Join Us! Move More

Pastels on the Plaza

+

2014

Join hundreds of Lake County residents who pledge to get more physical activity in 2014.

Find out more at MoveMore2014.org

Open House & Variety Show

One, Fun Variety Show!!!

April 27, 2-3pm Learn about our Unique Program for K-12

La Vida Charter School Ridgewood Ranch, North of Ukiah (Home of Seabiscuit) Call for Information / Directions 459 - 6344

707-459-6344 lavidaschool.org

May 17

• Kindergarten almost full for next year • Preschool filling up quickly • School Tour April 11 & 25 • Contact the school office to apply

w

The

ALDORF School

of Mendocino County

707-485-8719

6280 Third Street • Calpella www.waldorfmendocino.com

Paying Too Much for your Business Phone?

PAY 25% LESS Easily add or subtract lines at any time • No Contract Compatible with Android, iPhone or iPad

245 E Perkins St. Ukiah • 707-462-8098 Business Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm

When Feeling Better Can’t Wait ...

Rapid Care is here.

Rapid Care is Open After-Hours & Weekends Rapid Care is designed for urgent, but non-life-threatening conditions. Our staff of highly trained medical professionals are ready to care for your urgent need. We treat cuts, bumps and sprains, minor skin rash, ear infections, mild asthma, flu and pneumonia, animal bites, fever, sinus infections and other minor illnesses and injuries.

Pediatrics 707.463.7459

|

Walk-Ins Welcome.

Open After-Hours and Weekends.

Accepting Medicare, Medi-Cal and all forms of insurance.

Family Practice 707.463.7488

April 2014

8

Feature Stories

5 MendoLake Family Life Wins Top Honors Travel Story, Design, and Augmented Reality all win.

8 Time You Can Bank On Lake County building community by sharing skills.

12 Why Day Camp?

Meet friends, build confidence, and have fun!

14 4 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Brain Food Help your kids eat their way smarter.

16 Money Smart Kids

18

Ways to help your kids appreciate (and save) money.

18 3 Great Gardens to Put a Spring in Your Step These unique gardens are bursting with spring joy.

20 Teach Your Children to Live a Disciplined Life Let natural consequences be the teacher.

Every Issue

18 4 MendoLakeFamilyLife

6

Dear Readers

22 Calendar of Events

7

Bits and Pieces

29 Classifieds

Ukiah Library Supporting Parents

30 Humor Break

Junior Giants Baseball

MendoLakeFamilyLife.com April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Mendo Lake Family Life Wins Top Honors

At International Editorial and Design Magazine Competition

M

endo Lake Family Life magazine has won three of the coveted magazine awards presented at the International Parenting Media Association (PMA) annual Editorial and Design Awards Competition in Philadelphia. This competition is designed to recognize excellence in journalism, photography, and design achieved by regional family publications.

Mendo Lake Family Life magazine won Best Travel Feature for the “Wonders of Whales.” “Children could be intimidated by the gargatuan size of whales, but this writer describes the experience in a way that makes it accessible even to the smallest explorer.

This article provides an informative mix of travel details and the behavioral science that will help readers better understand what they’re seeing,” said the judges. The magazine also won for Best Special Section, and Best Use of Multimedia for its use of the ground breaking augmented reality, which delivers video and links directly from the magazine’s printed page to a readers phone..

PMA represents over 100 magazines from across the United States, Australia, Canada, and the Middle East, meeting the highest caliber of journalism, that choose their very best work throughout the year to enter in the competition. “This competition www.mendolakefamilylife.com

represents the best of the best among leading regional family magazines,” says founder and publisher Sharon Gowan.

Professor Daryl Moen of the University of Missouri's School of Journalism coordinated the annual contest. A panel of judges reviewed the 705 entries submitted in the competition to choose the winners in each category. All judges drew upon significant professional experience in selecting the winners.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 88B4CAE3-9266-4C89-B161-E78A1816FA02

Exhibit A THE MARK

MAKER FAIRE trademark Licensee Event Logo

Fall Festival

SATURDAY 19 OCT • 10–4 Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

Todd’s Bikes

3 D Printers Coming to the Faire

Todd Barricklow will be bringing his confounding kinetic creations to the Faire, including his Odd Cycle and Two-Penny. Barricklow is a member of the Fun Bike Unicorn Club, a loose collective of whimsical builders, inventors, artists, and rabble rousers who happen to like bikes and unicorns. <<<

• Arxterra Telerobotic Communities will be showing off their open-sourced robot design.

• Chimera Arts and Maker Space will let you try out their 3D printer.

• Honeybee 3D will let you create your own clothing buttons on their 3D printer.

• Andy Cohen will display his oversized male human figure with fully articulating limbs and torso that was created on a 3D printer.

5

MM_MakerFaireTrademarkLicense_EB_Rev012213

>>> At the Fall Festival and Santa Rosa Mini Maker Faire, you’ll be able to see the breadth of things that are being made with 3D printers and try your hand at making some of your own.

What will you make?

"We're thrilled! We won top awards in three categories—for excellent writing, design, and multimedia (for our use of augmented reality)," said Sharon Gowan. "We’re truly a local publication, and often compete against publications that are part of large national media companies, so the competition is fierce. It's great that our wonderful local staff has been recognized internationally for their award-winning work. And most importantly, that we're providing top quality coverage to our loyal local readers." ¶ April 2014

707-586-9562

TICKETS Advance/Gate

General $10/$12 Child ( 5-11) $4/$5 Teen (12-18) $8 /$10

Family-5 Pack BEST! $35/$45

(2-Adults, 2-Teen, 1-Child)

Under 5 FREE

KINETIC ART SWAP-O-RAMA-RAMA ART CARS ‘ANGRY PUMPKINS’ GIANT SLINGSHOT HULA HOOPS CIRCUITRY ROBOTS

Make-a-Hula Hoop It’s fun to make your own hula hoop! Family Life magazine will have an expert hooper to show you how to make one just for you. Free!

Fun Bike Unicorn Club Cheer on your favoite Pixie Bike racer in the Pixie Bike Time Trials. Or hop on a pixie bike and test your own skills.

AMAZING BIKES 3D MAZES COSTUME SWAP 3D PRINTING GRID BEAMS LASERS KIDS ACTIVITIES HALLOWEEN FUN ELECTRONICS FIBER ARTS FUN BIKE UNICORN

12 MendoLakeFamilyLife

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

October 2013

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

October 2013

Northern California’s breezy conditions are perfect for detecting spray from a whale’s spout; which is actually its breath, according to whale watching expert Bea Brunn. The wind carries the misty exhale that can be seen miles away. Since 1986, Brunn, who is known as “Whale Mother,” has been coordinating the whale watching EcoAdventure program at Bodega Head for Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.

Visitors can get up close to this gray whale skeleton exhibit at MacKerricher State Park.

Wonders P

By Joelle Burnette

The

Annual Migration Viewing Options Abound

ile the kids into the car, find high ground along the coast, look out over

the Pacific and spot

what look like fountains of

of Whales 18 MendoLakeFamilyLife

March 2013

water spraying into the air.

It’s that incredible time of

year when thousands of grey whales swim north past our shores in search of food in frigid Arctic waters. www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Whether you choose to bundle for veiwing from many local spots, or voyage onto the ocean with a local charter company, those who spot a whale surfacing commonly react with gleeful excitement. “They applaud and cheer,” says Brunn of the typical scene of onlookers during whale watching weekends at Bodega Head.

Lay of the Land At Bodega Head, volunteers wearing green vests with “Whale Watch” assist on lookers during weekends. The docents set up a table with baleen (filter plates used to sift food from water), bones, and more to answer questions about the annual whale migration.

During the winter months, gray whales take advantage of the south-flowing California current a few miles offshore. The current hastens their migration en route to breeding and calving grounds in warm lagoons along Mexico’s Baja California coast.

Typically starting mid-February, whales begin their migration north to cold Arctic seas. By that time, the approximately 1,500-pound, 15-foot calves are strong enough to travel www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Watching from land Whale watchers take advantage of a variety of vantage points along the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. Drive along Highway 1 from Bodega Bay, north past Jenner and Mendocino to Gualala to watch for whales from many turnoffs overlooking the ocean. Here are some favorite spots: Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the town of Mendocino just off Highway 1. Turn onto Main Street to find parking and hike along the jagged cliffs, or drive a few blocks north to Little Lake St. and west to Hesser Drive to find more views.

The Point Cabrillo Light Station, located off Highway 1 approximately four miles north of Mendocino, offers more headlands views. Park and walk a half-mile to the lighthouse, open all year, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MacKerricher State Park offers watching at Laguna Point. Weekend mornings at 11 a.m. through May 17, docents talk about the whale migration and other marine life found along the Mendocino coast. Talks begin near the visitor center at the park’s main entrance. Binoculars and a spotting scope are provided. Groups will drive to Laguna Point for a walk to the lookout area. A rare, reconstructed Gray whale skeleton is on permanent display near the visitor center and entrance station. The skeleton is a composite of two whales that beached on the Mendocino coast, two years apart. Call 964-9112, parks. ca.gov. The park is three miles north of Fort Bragg. Free parking.

Bodega Head These rocky headlands provide prime watching. Weekend afternoons through early June, look for docents with green vests to answer migration questions. Turn off Highway 1 onto East Shore Road. Drive to parking lot at the headlands.

Whale Watching from the Sea Many charter boat companies along the coast offer whale-watching trips as well as daylong fishing adventures.

Most whale-watching trips are shorter and focus on whales and other sea life along the coast. Telstar Charters runs trips out of Fort Bragg.

707-964-8770.

Three companies offer chartered fishing and whale-watching trips from beautiful Noyo Harbor, a few miles south of Fort Bragg. From December to May, Anchor Charter Boats schedules two-hour-long whale-watching trips. Special field trips and kids’ groups can also be accommodated. $35.

707-964-4550.

The Noyo Fishing Center runs one trip daily, Monday-Friday, and three trips on weekends at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. Adults $35, children $15.

707-964-3000. Fortbraggfishing.com.

All Aboard Adventures runs trips to see whales from December 26-April 30 on the 45-foot Sea Hawk. Trips are two hours long , leaving at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily. During the first three weekends in March (during the festivals), cruises are at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Adults $35, children $25.

707-964-1881 or visit online at allaboardadventures.com.

March 2013

o de i V nk Li

MendoLakeFamilyLife 13

View Points from Land and Sea

Coastal Gazing

“The purpose of the PMA awards competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in parenting publications,” said PMA Executive Director C. James Dowden.

SonomaFamilyLife.com

s

MendoLakeFamilyLife 5

MendoLakeFamilyLife 19

Dear Reader First off, save the date for the biggest Camp Fair in the North Bay! You’ll find hundreds of summer camp representatives ready to tell you all about the amazing summer awaiting your camper. Day camps, overnight camps, sports Sharon Gowan Publisher/Editor camps, and arts camps.

Sharon@family-life.us It’s Friday April 11, from 3:30–7:30. Fun, free and the very best way to find a great summer camp! See the back cover!

We’re proud to announce that our locally grown family magazine has been honored with 3 awards at an international magazine competition. And for the second year in a row, the mobile technology that turns our pages into video and links on your phone, was recognized as the best multimedia entered!

(We ‘Harry-Pottered’ our pages! See page 9) There are more great stories from local writers in this issue too. Denise Rockenstein tells us how neighbors are using a time bank to exchange their talents. And we’re excited to introduce a new writer in this issue: Meet

The Solar Living Center • Open Every Day! • Renewable Energy Education • Guided Tours • Picnics, Ponds and Playgrounds!

• Educational Displays • Healthy Snacks • Worlds Largest Strawbale Store • Organic, Fair Trade and Tea • Huge Selection of Eco-Books • Solar Parts, Panels and Systems!

John Corippo, Ukiah father of two, firefighter, and ex-banker. John shares some ideas for raising money-smart kids.

With spring warming up the soil, you can’t help but want to start your garden. Follow along with Ann Ingraham, our features editor, as she introduces you to some inspiring gardens.

Office Manager Patricia Ramos patty@family-life.us

I’ve recently had the opportunity to visit with editors and publishers from around the US, Canada, Australia, and even Qatar. It was a great learning experience with some great new ideas. As a newly elected board member for the Parenting Media Association, I’m looking forward to more chances to learn from publishers from around the world.

Business Marketing Renee Nutcher renee@family-life.us Karlon Baker karlon@family-life.us

And lastly, we are all so excited to welcome our newest staff member. Our online editor Jordan and his wife Mona recently welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Balian Tristan Lewis into the world. Congratulations to everyone, and welcome aboard Balian!

I hope your April is filled with new starts, rich soil, and fragrant blossoms for you and your family!

earth day SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

Jolie Cook jolie@family-life.us

Features Editor Ann Ingraham ann@family-life.us

Production Manager Donna Bogener production@family-life.us

Marketing Jordan Lewis jordan@family-life.us

Calendar Patricia Ramos

Contributing Writers Denise Rockenstein Marla Coleman Shefali Tsabary, PhD Patrick Hempfing John Corippo

Join us at the Solar Living Institute 10 am-3 pm

Learn All About Bees & Beekeeping

Billing Jan Wasson-Smith Publishing Office 100 Professional, Center Dr., #104 Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Bee friendly planting Make beeswax Visit a pollinator hotel Enjoy local music Taste local honey We Wrote the Book on Solar Living!

Tel 707-586-9562 Fax 707-586-9571

13771 S. Hwy 101 Hopland, Ca • 707-472-2403 • realgoods.com 6 MendoLakeFamilyLife

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Bits & Pieces

Ukiah Library Supporting Parents

P

arenting is hard sometimes. Occasionally you need some advice to help you along the way. Judith Kayser, librarian at the Ukiah Public Library, understands this and, with the help of Friends of the Library, has put together a new parenting section. This section offers books on pregnancy and parenting infants up to teenagers. There is also a selection of DVDs and CDs with songs, stories, and sign language instruction to make life easier for those little ones that really have things to say, but can’t quite tell you what it is.

Kayser welcomes families with children of all ages and has included a “Baby Drama Trauma” box filled with rattles, diapers, and board books to comfort cranky babies. She has also added a new Family Story Time on Saturdays at 1 p.m. There will be stories, songs, and crafts for everyone in the family to enjoy. Bring your family to the Ukiah Public Library and check it out. ¶

Are you ready for some Junior Giants Baseball?

By Denise Rockenstein

J

unior Giants Baseball is coming to Lake County! Junior Giants is the flagship program of the San Francisco Giants Community Fund. It is a free, non-competitive, innovative baseball program for boys and girls ages five to eighteen years old located in Covelo, Willits, Ukiah, Lakeport, and Clearlake.

The program is all-inclusive regardless of skill level, experience or disability (that includes participants and volunteers). Junior Giants Commissioner Ken Cowden said volunteer coaches will have the opportunity to attend a professional training session provided by the Giants in San Francisco.

The program welcomes children of all backgrounds and encourages them to live healthy and productive lives by getting outside and playing baseball.

“It let's kids start dreaming of tomorrow, today,” Cowden said.

Sign-ups for players, coaches, coordinators, assistants and other volunteers takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19 at Lake County Youth Services (LCYS) youth center, 4750 Golf Avenue, next to Redbud Park and the Little League fields, in Clearlake.

Check out sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com and search for Junior Giants to find a program near you. ¶ www.mendolakefamilylife.com

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 7

Time

By Denise Rockenstein

T

here here is an alternate economy that is thriving acrossthe nation. It’s not illegal. It’s not immoral and it’s not hard to do.

All you need is some time to exchange your talents and skills with those of others. “Sometimes you give. Sometimes you receive. Sometimes you do both,” member Marion Kaiser said.

“You do what you can.”

Learn more about time banking.

Time Bank of Thrive! Lake County has grown to a network of nearly 400 members strong since it launched in 2011, along the way earning national recognition for its rapid growth in membership and time exchange transactions. Carol Cole-Lewis, who established Thrive! Lake County with the late Steve Elias, said she thought it was important to build a time bank in the county to eliminate dependency on currency.

“Time banking creates connections that strengthen the community and its local economy,” she said. “It is a relationship economy. It’s people helping people. It’s building trust, creating new friendships and nurturing stronger community connections.”

Thrive! Lake County unites like-minded individuals, businesses and organizations striving to create a sustainable ‘local living economy,”

8 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Photos by Nathan DeHart Photography

You Can Bank On

Carol Cole-Lewis waters her garden in a planter box made by time banker Donovan Beard.

in which success is measured against values and quality of life improvements rather than growth and financial gain. Its mission is to help local independent businesses, organizations, and citizens connect and thrive while also creating a local economy that values people, planet and profits. “It’s about making connections,” Cole-Lewis said.

Time banking works by exchanging “time credits” that are bartered for services and goods offered by members within the network. You can add to your stash by attending monthly meetings, which provide a forum for members to solicit their skills and needs and acquaint themselves before exchanges. Bring a friend and side dish for the potluck, and you put a couple more credits in the bank.

Thrive! Technical Coordinator John Saare, a former Silicon Valley resident,

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

said he was just looking for a way to connect with the community when he joined at a local farmers’ market event. He said he’d owned a home in the area for the past fifteen years and spent many weekends in Lake County but didn’t know anybody. “This has been a great chance for me to meet a variety of people who I would not have otherwise met, being from the Bay Area,” he said. “The ongoing, deepening connection I am making with the community is very satisfying.”

Saare said members possess a highly diverse set of skills. “These are people who will lend a hand in all kinds of ways—fixing things in your home, sewing, cooking, gardening. I got my taxes done through Time Bank,” he said. “Believe it or not, one of the most popular services in Time Bank

is dog-walking and pet care.” In addition, Saare said the organization is moving toward capabilities that will allow trading between time banks across North America and in the United Kingdom. “The networking possibilities are extraordinary,” he said.

One member said that because of a group exercise designed to help members share their needs and talents with one another, she got the help she needed on her country farm in exchange for cooking, canning, house-sitting, and other services she offers. Janice Irvin said she appreciates opportunities to save money. “I’m 65-years-old and I live on a fixed income,” she said. “I’m getting people to come over and help and I don’t have to use my social security to pay for something to be fixed.”

Time bankers earn credits by teaching about the many uses of herbs.

Time bankers painting a garage.

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A reskilling event at Ancient Lake Gardens in Kelseyville where instructors earned time bank hours for teaching woodworking, gardening, biochar, herbs, and more.

Kim Dornbush said she is recently divorced and Thrive! Lake County has provided her with a way to meet new people. She said that after her divorce she had difficulty accepting help from others. “This is a good exercise for me in receiving,” she said. “There are things that I don’t even think I need until I start talking to others.”

Cole-Lewis said the best way to get started in Time Bank is to complete a biography and post an offer and request. And, in Time Bank she said, going into debt is okay. “When you request a service, you are helping someone else earn credit,” she said.

“You don’t have to wait until you’ve earned credits to get the help you need.

It’s a good faith economy.”

As seen in the New York Times, Nick News, Bay Area Backroads & KQED’s Truly CA. For nearly 40 years, children have run away to join our circus in beautiful Mendocino County!

Our multi-cultural curriculum of circus and performing arts encourages self-discovery, leadership and growth in a positive and affirming environment. Voted Family Favorite by Bay Area Parent and Best Overnight Camp by East Bay Parent’s Press and Oakland Magazine! www.campwinnarainbow.org Email: arainbow.org Phone: 510-525-4304

Now Accepting Clients

MIDWIFERY Serving Lake and Mendocino Families Home Birth • Water Birth • Well Woman Care Childbirth classes beginning in March

707-262-1957

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION • www.lakemidwife.org 10 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Kaiser said once you begin utilizing the network you realize what a small community it truly is. She said word-of-mouth and membership recommendations drive the system and common acquaintances are often discovered. “It’s amazing. As you start to make these transactions, you come to find out that you do know these people,” she said.

Kaiser said she is especially impressed with the accomplishments members have achieved in combining their efforts into single projects. “Work parties are fun and we are doing more of them all the time, ”she said. “Members recently got together and painted an entire house, primer and all.”

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

NEW Testing Center in Lake County Offering computer-based testing for GED, CBEST, CLEP and more.

Saturday testing available.

14092 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake

Lake County Office of Education Career & College Readiness

For more information, contact Kim Boles-Cravea at 994-9001 x110 kimb@lakecoe.org

Register at pearsonvue.com

Own Your Own Business

WORK AT HOME • CHOOSE YOUR OWN HOURS • WORK WITH CHILDREN • Free Training and other great incentives for attending fun workshops.

A time banker earns credits by teaching members about biochar.

Anyone with a little time to share is welcome to join the organization.

Cole-Lewis said the group is looking to recruit younger people into the program; however, she said those younger than eighteen years must be joined by a parent to participate.

Time Bank of Thrive! Lake County will host its next monthly meeting beginning at 3 p.m. April 12 in Glebe Hall at St. Peter’s Mission, 4085 Main Street in Kelseyville.

The April meeting culminates in a social and dance with musical guest, Righteous Vibrations, a Northern California reggae band dedicated to positive energy. ¶ Thrive! Lake County maintains offices in Lakeport and Clearlake. For more information visit the website at timebanklakeco.org.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

• Child Care Assistance for low income eligible families.

• Free Child Care Referrals.

1-800-606-5550 ext. 211

Rural Communities Child Care

Come in out of the Cold And Get the Best Workout You’ve Ever Had! (707) 468-9642

(707) HOT-YOGA

www.radiantyogaukiah.com April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 11

Why Day Camp?

Children learn life skills that become habits of the heart

By Marla Coleman

A

mom wrote to me about her family’s ski trip. The son got to the top of a steep hill and

started to panic. The mom said, “What would you do if you were at camp?” and he proceeded to engage himself in positive self-talk that was part of the camp culture: “It may take time, it may be hard; but stick with it, and you’ll be fine!” He skied down with a huge sense of accomplishment and perseverance.

12 MendoLakeFamilyLife

It’s tough to be a kid these days. It’s tough to be a parent. In a society where the nature of the family, the work place, and the community have changed dramatically, we can no longer assume that the natural process of growing up will provide children the experiences and the resources they need to become successful contributing adults. In sharp contrast to the traditions of growing up in the 50s and 60s, today we live in the first moment when humans receive more of their information second-hand than first! We are in a climate where it is harder to know what we need to survive, so drawing on experiences that give children healthy alternatives and opportunities to instill capabilities, the hallmarks of thriving, is the greatest gift you can give a young child.

Does it really matter if my child doesn’t go to day camp, especially since she will go to overnight camp in

a few years? She is only four years old— why does she need day camp?

Camp provides one of the very few links with a world larger than the consumer culture we inhabit—and day camp is one important choice in a quiver of options. The camp experience helps children and youth develop an appreciation of their place and their responsibility in a much larger universe. A preschooler—or even an older child who might be reluctant to go to overnight camp—can join a community that is created especially for her to practice growing up. Why wait until age ten when the benefits of feeling connected and being able to contribute and navigate at an earlier age can be reaped? Under the supervision of inspiring guides and passionate coaches, children can feel successful and make new friends while having the time of their lives; they can experience belonging and

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

contribution; they can have a sense of consistency and predictability in times of turbulence and change.

Day camp can begin as early as age three, and is geared to children who get to experience camp and still return home each evening! They have the best of both worlds—the camp community which is built exclusively for kids and their own home which provides the security they need at a tender age.

SPRING ON DOWN TO LITTLE CAESARS For FREE

Crazy Bread & Sauce with ANY pizza purchase.

180 Ford Rd. Ukiah, Ca. 462-7646

Day camp is a living example of what is right in the world.

One day camp parent said, “While my children and I are constantly bombarded by the news which is focused on what is wrong with the world, camp is a living example of what is right.”

Day camp is a terrific first experience.

Reminiscent of less complicated days, when people connected with nature, thrived on inter-generational relationships, and made new discoveries, everything is designed and scaled to ensure that children feel included, cared about, and capable.

Camp is the best demonstration of moral and spiritual order—democracy is the core purpose. Children learn life skills and behaviors that become habits of the heart. While many then move on to overnight camp, others will be content to continue the day camp experience: after all, there is a camp for everyone—and that might well be day camp! ¶

Individuals • Families • Events BobRiderPhotography.com • (707)245-5321

Community Acupuncture accessible affordable effective Ukiah

Allergies? Always tired? - Acupuncture can help!

Sliding Scale $20-40 - Gift Certificates Available Now 203 S. School St., Ukiah • www.acupunctureukiah.com • 391-9995

6th Annual

Scholastic Chess Tournament May 3, 2014

All levels of skill welcome!

Grades K–8

Call today!

(707) 527-6427

Originally printed in CAMP Magazine, reprinted by permission of the American Camp Association © 2005 American Camping Association, Inc.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

exp. 7/1/14 must present coupon.

One per visit, per day.

Register Online: www.chessclubforkids.com

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 13

1

4

Taking your children blackberry picking

isn’t only a fun way to pass time at the end

of summer; while dodging the profusion of

berry bush thorns to get to those sweet treats your

family is actually having a brain food adventure!

It turns out berries have antioxidants associated with increased memory and cognitive functioning. It’s more than just fun to go out and pick berries under the shining sun and a blue sky, it’s also nature’s way of increasing your little ones’ fine motor skills. So forget about stringing beads when blackberries everywhere are ripe for the picking.

But berries are just the beginning. Experts agree one of the best ways to help children concentrate in school is to encourage a healthy diet. But anyone with a willful child knows that feeding him or her “brain food” is not always an easy task. Here are four more ways to create brain food adventures with your children that will get them asking for more.

14 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Ways to Help Your Kids Love Brain Food

2

By Ann Ingraham

Leafy Greens Some kids hate to eat their greens. But they’re important brain foods because greens like spinach and kale are full of folate and vitamins, which help with learning and memory.

“Kale contains sulforaphane, a molecule that has detoxifying abilities, and diindolymethane, which helps new brain cells grow,” says Drew Ramsay, coauthor of 50 Shades of Kale. One way to get kids to eat their greens is through super smoothies.

They’re packed with spinach and kids won’t even know it’s there. Here’s how:

Go-to smoothie • 1 cup orange juice • 6 to 7 ice cubes • 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves • ½ cup vanilla yogurt • ½ banana • Blend until smooth and enjoy.

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

3

Eggs contain concentrated protein to support energy levels and growing brain cells.

Prevention magazine says the choline found in eggs is “vital for the creation of memory stem cells, formed deep within our brains.”

Love Toast Here’s a happy way to start the day with your kids. Using a three-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a heart shape in the middle of a piece of bread and toast the heart-shaped bread.

• Melt 1½ tsp. butter in a pan and put in the rest of the bread.

• Fit a cookie cutter, coated with cooking spray, in the bread’s cutout heart, and crack egg inside cutter.

• Cook until egg is set, 2–3 minutes.

• Use tongs to remove cutter.

• Serve with toasted heart for dipping into yolk.

4

Purple cauliflower is beautiful, low in sugar, high in fiber, and full of vitamins that help regulate mood, memory, and attention levels. It is a brain food that parents don’t usually think about and can be made into a delicious (and pretty) dip for veggies. Every child will eat their veggies when it comes with a yummy dip.

Perfect Purple Cauliflower Dip • 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into florets • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds • Coarse salt • 1 cup plain yogurt • 1 tablespoon lemon juice Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle cauliflower with oil and sprinkle with cumin. Season with salt. Roast, stirring once, until golden brown and tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool.

MORE THAN A HOSpiTAl YOUR LOCAL PARTNER

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UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

925 N. State Street, Ukiah • 707-472-5062 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

HOSPITAL SERVICES 707-262-5000 COMMUNITY CLINIC 707-262-6885 AFTER HOURS CARE 707-262-5088

Whether you need a primary care community clinic, 24/7 trauma services, after-hours family care, complex surgery, private birthing suites or medical screenings Sutter Health partners with you. And now, with a single electronic patient record, you’ll have online access to prescriptions, test results, and physician messaging. Expert integrated care – it’s another way we plus you.

sutterlakeside.org

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 15

By John Corippo

M

Money Smart Kids oney sure doesn’t grow on trees, but that doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t cultivate strong saving habits in their kids. In the world of debt capacity, working capital, and terminal values, it has become a daunting task for parents to prepare their children for the world of finance. It has also become imperative with families

struggling with salary cuts, expense inflations, and increasing credit card balances. April is National

Community Banking Month; following some simple rules and using some of the tools available can make money matters fun and rewarding for our future Trumps, Buffetts, and Rockefellers.

“The challenge is commercials. All my son thinks about is what he wants to buy next,” said Amy Grooms, mother of two in Willits.

Kids have been shown to understand the work-reward concept as young as three years of age. A simple and effective tool to reinforce good behavior and setting the foundation for strong savings in their future is to start a simple Three Jar System. First, find three clear jars. Kids love to see their treasure pile up. Then label the jars Spending, Savings, and Giving. The Spending jar is money that can be used on a whim. Whichever expenses your child chooses, but when it’s gone, it’s gone. Resist the urge to bend to their demands for more after they have chosen to burn through their spending cash. Before long they will be prioritizing their purchases and exercising their own budget.

16 MendoLakeFamilyLife

“Saving teaches them to really think about the want/ need aspect of the purchase. If they chose to buy it they tend to take better care of it,” said Karen Gupta, mother of three in Redwood Valley.

Savings is for the money they are putting away long term, it is their savings account until they open an actual account at the bank. The last jar, Giving, is for those instances in life that arise where someone in your community needs help. Whether a favorite charity, the collection plate, or a friend going through a tough time and could use a helping hand, but it is important that your child learns to choose which philanthropies to assist. Following up by volunteering or visiting where those funds are being put to use reinforces that your child has the potential to make our world a better place.

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

“I like to save my money for toys or doing fun stuff,” said Avary Banks, age seven from Ukiah. “My class has also been donating all our change to Coins for Kids.”

Giving an allowance and having your child disperse their money into the jars allows them to understand how the financial world will work as they become more responsible for their expenses. Paying your children in exchange for completion of chores will provide them with a work ethic and a sense of pride from earning their own money. A quarter for picking up their toys, fifty cents for setting and clearing the dinner table and a dollar for helping with yard work will provide great dividends for their future.

Opening a savings account with your child anytime around five to seven years of age gives them an opportunity to learn about interest and somewhere to place the proceeds from a full Savings jar where it will be safe. Explaining that the bank will pay them to keep their money safe is exciting for a kid that has worked so hard to get their jar brimming with cash and coins. It also gives them a sense of being grown up, walking into such an adult world and having their money documented in their savings book with each visit.

“Credit cards and coveting things that you can’t afford can be very destructive. I think credit cards should www.mendolakefamilylife.com

be renamed debt cards,” said Sherry Glavich, mother of two in Ukiah.

education by sponsoring classes and camps directed towards financial education. Operation HOPE, an The risks of credit and debt make Oakland non-profit whose mission is it all the more important to discuss financial dignity, has partnered with fiscal matters of the household Union Bank to offer a free five-week with your child. Helping them program in personal finance for understand the family budget, students from ages eight through expenses and how you decide when twenty-four focusing and where the family’s on empowerment, money is spent will Opening a responsibility, and give them the tools savings account hope. Students are that they need when with your child taught Basics of they are going away to anytime around Budgeting, Checking school and having to five to seven and Savings accounts, keep their own budget.

Fundamentals years of age Make sure to show and of Credit, and an gives them an educate them on what Introduction to Savings opportunity a check and credit and Investing. The card are and their to learn about courses use practical differences. Focus on interest applications of real how those differences world circumstances can affect their financial and hands-on calculations to coach health and the consequences the students on what waits for them of abusing these resources. as they enter the workforce. Check Being honest with the state of out operationhope.org to learn more accounts is also an important about this program. lesson that kids can learn from, Following a plan and being involved especially when times are tough. with your kids finances shouldn’t end Teaching that there will be when they run out the door to college. times when you have to choose Ask to stay in the loop with money between draining that issues and major decisions as they savings account that you’ve venture out in the world. Ensuring worked so hard to build or that a young adult learns to stay tightening up on expenses within their budget and consistently will be beneficial when saves a little for the future will set future challenges arise. them up for success when the time “I am saving to go to college comes to purchase a home, car, or and get a good education,” said start their own business. ¶ Tammy Cooley, age thirteen John Corippo is a husband and from Ukiah. father to two sons that lives in Banks and credit unions are now starting to step up in order to fill a need in the future generation’s April 2014

Ukiah. John is also a fire captain, paramedic, hazmat specialist, journalist, college instructor, avid sports fan, and stand up paddleboard representative.

MendoLakeFamilyLife 17

3 Great Gardens

Photos by gbphotographers.com

To Put a Spring in Your Step

A

pril is when Northern California is blooming with color and beautiful flowers— buttery orange poppies, purple lavender, roses of all shades start to open their faces to the sun.

The hills are green! The bees are buzzing about with their legs afluff with yellow pollen. It’s time to get outside and enjoy it! Put down your phone, grab your family, and breathe in these beautiful spaces. There are plenty of beautiful gardens in our area, but here’s a few that stand out.

18 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma Cornerstone Gardens is not your average garden. It is an ever-changing series of walk-through gardens displaying new and innovative designs from the world’s finest landscape architects and designers. It is the first gallery-style garden in the United States covering nine acres celebrating art, architecture, and nature, and an inspiring place to explore for all ages.

Come see the area entitled “Stone’s Throw” which was created for people to experience a stone from an ant’s-eye view. Imagine you are an ant on a pebble, climb to the top, and get a great overall view of the gardens. Children also love the daisy border featuring a giant row of classic daisy pinwheels turning in the breeze. And enjoy the “Garden of Contrast” featuring flowing grasses interplanted with the dramatically contrasting pointed fronds of agaves and punctuated by bright poppies. There is also an art gallery, beautiful stores, and a great restaurant to enjoy right on the property. Make it a day! Cornerstonegardens.com April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Photos by Mendocino Botanical Garden

Hear more about the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden.

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg Roaming through a beautiful garden filled with Cafe Au Lait and Pari Taha Sunrise dahlias then heading over to the edge of the rocky cliffs to watch the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing down below is just what you need to remember the earth’s beauty. The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens also has a children’s garden with a fairy house building area, a tiny vegetable garden, playhouse, and more designed with toddlers and the littlest visitors in mind.

In April look for early rhododendrons, camellias, daffodils, magnolias, cherry trees, and the Pacific Coast iris to be in bloom. Then gaze out at the water and look for gray whales as they head north to their cold water summer feeding grounds. Check out gardenbythesea.org.

Luther Burbank Home and Garden in Santa Rosa Luther Burbank was a horticulturist that conducted plant-breeding experiments that brought him world fame.

He introduced over 800 varieties of plants, including the loved Shasta daisy (named after Mount Shasta), a quadruple hybrid, that took Burbank seventeen years to produce.

to improve digestion, and more. There is also a spineless cactus garden developed by Burbank for feeding raw to livestock or cooked to people. You can also admire and get ideas to grow your own summer bounty in the edible landscape area filled with Burbank slicing tomatoes and striped corn, melons, sweet peas, borage, lemon gem marigolds, and more. Finally, don’t miss the wildlife habitat garden offering food, shelter, and nesting areas for the animals. Check out lutherburbank.org.

Visit Luther Burbank’s medicinal garden that includes feverfew for headaches, lamb’s ear for bandages, mugwort www.mendolakefamilylife.com

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 19

Teach Your Child to

Live a Disciplined Life

By Shefali Tsabary, PhD

I

t’s been said that the only things we really “learn” are the things we learn for ourselves.

That’s because only when we learn it for ourselves does it become intrinsic to us. We just naturally do it, without having to be coaxed or disciplined.

The key to raising a self-disciplined child is for them to learn for themselves—a process we undercut when we impose the lesson on them.

As a clinical psychologist working with families, I’ve found that children learn best from consequences, whereas punishment generates resentment. A child who is punished may fall in line, but their heart isn’t in it. They don’t learn to be self-disciplined—which is why so many of our kids have a traumatic time in their teens.

Consequences and discipline are opposites.

Consequences flow spontaneously from the situation, without requiring us to “think up” something that will “teach” our child. Consequences have to do with cause and effect, which are a natural process by which an action brings an automatic result.

Hear Dr. Tsabary talking about a whole new parenting paradigm.

With consequences, the situation itself, not the parent, becomes the teacher. In this way children learn for themselves. The parent is then seen as an ally and guide, instead of resented.

When we parents intervene to impose some form of discipline, we shortcircuit the teaching that

20 MendoLakeFamilyLife

comes from allowing simple cause and effect to do its work.

Allowing cause and effect to teach our children is a world apart from a child doing something and the parent (or school) giving them a “consequence.”

That’s not a consequence at all: it’s a punishment.

The resentment it causes leads either to a crushed spirit, to further acting out on the child’s part, or to a crisis later in life.

When children don’t develop their own sense of why they should behave in a responsible manner, they fall prey to the often negative influence of peers as they gain greater freedom in their teens. Easily swayed, they are now at huge risk.

It’s because we rely on discipline to keep our kids in line that we have to continually “stay on” them.

Since they haven’t learned it for themselves, we have to keep after them to get them to do or not do something. In contrast, when children develop their own self-awareness from the consequences of their actions, their own center of gravity guides them so that they aren’t so easily influenced by others.

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

That a child develops its own center of gravity is vital. For instance, it’s when children don’t have a solid sense of themselves that they become bullies—as well as a victim

The parent’s task is to allow the natural consequence do its job by keeping quiet. of bullying. A lack of their own sense of worth is also why so many of our teens engage in antisocial behavior, and why more and more of them are taking their own lives.

To illustrate how self-discipline develops when we don’t “discipline,” consider a child who’s late for an activity they enjoy, such as soccer

or a play they want to be in. If the team or cast has already been selected, the child has the potential to learn a valuable lesson with the situation as the teacher.

practice getting your things together the night before. Shall we practice it a few times?” The parent shows them how to achieve what their heart longs to achieve.

The problem is that if the parent steps in to “hammer the lesson home” with a lecture about being on time, the child’s focus is deflected away from the teaching power of the natural consequence of lateness and onto the parent who is “straightening them out.” All this does is breed resentment. The parent’s role isn’t to scold, berate, or warn them about “what happens when you’re late.” The parent’s task is to allow the natural consequence do its job by keeping quiet.

It’s all about connecting with a child, instead of correcting the child all the time. It’s because we’re focused on correcting that so many parents tell me their kids shut them out, lie to them, become devious, and end up with the wrong crowd. They will connect somewhere—so it’s up to us to face up to all the things about us that need to change in order for them to want to connect with us. ¶

What the parent can offer, is something like, “I can help you

Dr. Shefali Tsabary PhD. is author of OUT OF CONTROL: Why Disciplining Your Child Doesn’t Work…and What Will.

Mendocino CSA Farm Tours ! !

Engage with Local Food & Farms!

-You must RSVP the farms if you plan to attendSunday, April 6, 1pm-4pm Lovin' Mama Farm, Potter Valley Vegetable & flower CSA shares Taste farm-fresh appetizers & walk the fields RSVP & directions: corinnehansch@riseup.net or phone (707) 490-5485

Saturday, April 12, 2pm-4pm Live Power Community Farm, Covelo Vegetable CSA shares Draft horse tillage demo, talk on biodynamics RSVP & directions: livepower@livepower.org or phone (707) 983-8196

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Saturday, April 26, 3pm-5pm The Corn Crib & Mendocino Organics, Redwood Valley Corn & pork CSA shares Corn shelling demo, see gardens & pigs

RSVP & directions: info@mendocinoorganics.com or phone (707) 272-2711

Sunday, April 27, 11am-2pm Anderson Valley Community Farm, Boonville Eggs, poultry, pork & lamb CSA shares Visit with goat kids & help herd the sheep flock RSVP & directions: andersonvalleycommunityfarm@gmail.com or phone (707) 391-9422

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 21

April

Calendar of Events

Fabulous Summers Begin at the Family Expo & Camp Fair Bring your excitement for summer to the Family Expo & Camp Fair on April 11th from 3:30–7:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. Now is the time to plan fun and educational activities for your children during their long break from school and this fair has everything in one place for you to compare and choose what’s best for your child.

Parents can learn about camps, explore enrichment options, and even sign up for activities. Participants include House of Air, Shotokan Karate, Camp Winnarainbow, Tutors 2 You, and many more. There will be lots of kids’ activities, performances, great food, and representatives from dozens of local resources—it’s free fun for the whole family! Find out more at Sonomafamilylife.com and click on ‘Expo Camp Fair.’ ¶

1 Tuesday Artists Look Back. Mendocino

Art Association (MCAA) Turns 60! On display in the main gallery juried retrospective displays of past & current work by MCAA. Runs until May 29. Weds.–Sats. 10 am–4:30 pm. Suns. 12–4:30 p.m. $4/ per person, $10/family, $3/seniors & students. Free to members.

Grace Hudson Museum. 467-2836. gracehudsonmuseum.org.

FREE Teen Driver Program. The CHP Patrol is teaming up local teenagers & parents w/a program called “Start Smart” geared towards the reduction of collisions & injuries w/teen drivers. The Ukiah Area CHP will be holding sessions monthly at 540 S. Orchard Ave. Interested in participating visit Ukiah Area CHP Office or call to sign up. Space is limited! Ask for Officer Adams at 467-4040.

22 MendoLakeFamilyLife

April Redwood Coast Y & Whale Jazz Festival. Presented

by Gualala Arts, original jazz artwork, whale education, a film series, poetry & jazz, chowder challenge & tasting, & live music in a beautiful setting.

Through May. gualalaarts.org.

FREE AWANA Kids Club. Ages 3 years to sixth grade. Games, theme nights, Bible devotions and awards for verse memorization. Tues. 6:30–8 pm. Clearlake Baptist Church. 555 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. 263-3256.

FREE First Fiddlers’ Jam. Listen to some terrific fiddle tunes played by members of the No. Cal. Old Time Fiddlers Group. 12–2 pm. Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum.

9921 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

263-4180 X 102.

FREE Legos. Fun

after school activity! Tues. & Thurs. 3 pm.

Ukiah Library. co.mendocino.ca.us.

FREE Let’s Play Math. Math games, riddles, toys from easy to challenging. Tues. 2–3 pm. Ukiah Library. co.mendocino.ca.us.

FREE Story Time with Marilyn and Linda. Books,

puppets, flannel boards & music for preschooler w/ adults. Tues. 11–11:30 am. 225 Main St., Point Arena. coastcommunitylibrary.org.

FREE Story Time. Presented

by Miss Shirley and the Families for Literacy program. 11:30 am–12:30 pm. Middletown Library. 21256 Washington St., Middletown.

987-3674.

FREE Teen Drop In. Homework,

then other activities such as cooking, gardening, arts & crafts,& snacks included. Grades 6–12. Rolo will pick up the youth at the Middle School & High School. 3–5 pm.

44400 Willis Ave. Laytonville.

984-808 or nikki@mcn.org.

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

w

Clearlake

FREE Triple P Parenting Classes.

Tues. 10 am–noon. Safe Passage Family Resource Center. 208 Dana St., Fort Bragg. 964-3077 to register.

Youth Center

FREE Ukiah Preschool Story Time. 11–11:30

am stories & songs in English. 11:30 am-noon. Arts & Crafts. 12–12:30 stories & songs in Spanish. Tues. Ukiah Library.

2 Wednesday Kids Corner. Mons.

Weds. Fris. 9–11 am. C.V. Starr Community Center.

300 S. Lincoln St., Fort Bragg. starrcenter.net/calendar.

FREE Annual Child Abuse Prevention Outreach Walk. Visit

Ukiah businesses to spread awareness about Child Abuse Prevention. Lunch and t-shirts will be provided to volunteers. Come and join us! 10 am–noon. Space Theater. 501 W. Perkins St., Ukiah. email: childrensaction@rcs4kids.org.

FREE Games, Chess & more.

Weds. 3:30 pm. Ukiah Library. co.mendocino.ca.us.

FREE Kids Club. The church will offer games & activities for Northshore youth, including a weekly Bible lesson. Weds. 3–5 pm. Lucerne Community Church. 5870 Hwy. 20. lucernecommunitychurch.com.

FREE Meditation Group. A half-hour sit is followed by a half-hour talk, then a discussion period. Teachers vary each wk. All welcome.

462-2580. Weds. 7–8:30 pm. Yoga Mendocino. yogamendocino.org.

Lake County Youth Services is a non profit program serving the youth ages 7 thru 17.

We will be providing after school programs Mon–Fri, 2 to 6pm where children can get homework help, enjoy fun activities and a snack. We will also facilitate special activity programs throughout the year. For information on programs please call.

OPEN MON - FRI FROM 2PM -6PM COST $15 A WEEK. Mystery Dinner May 3rd $30 doors open at 6:30pm.

The Jr Giants Sign Up: during operational hours contact us for more info.

3 ON 3 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Apr. 26-27, 2014 10 – 14 yrs old • 15- 19 yrs old • 20 and up.

Double Elimination will be held at the Youth Center and Austin park Age group 10-19 free. 20 and up $20 p/team (4 people max per team) All proceeds go towards youth center programs and KBL Registration deadline: 24 Apr. Contact Mike to register at 995-1921

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS Want a tax deduction, donate your old vehicle.

Call Enterprise Towing at 707 994-8801 and they will pick it up!

Must have title

To make a monetary donation: send to: Attn: Youth Center P.O. Box 1042 Lower Lake CA 95457 Please make checks out to LCPF/ Youth Center

Board Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month @6pm at the Center 707-994-KIDS 4750 Golf Ave., Clearlake clearlakeyouthcenter.org

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 23

3 Thursday

FREE Mendocino County Museum.

First Wed of each month free. 10 am–4:30 pm. 400 E. Commercial St., Willits. mendocinomuseum.org.

FREE Playgroup. For children birth–5 yrs. & their parents. The playgroup will be held in Hardwood Park in good weather; otherwise in Harwood Hall. Weds. 11 am–1 pm. 44400 Willis Avenue.

Laytonville. 984-8089. laytonville. org/healthystart.

FREE Family Empowerment. Any

parent is welcome. Thurs. 9–10 am.

44400 Willis Avenue. Laytonville.

984-8089. laytonville.org/ healthystart.

FREE Story Hour. Thurs.

10:30 am.

Willits Library. co.mendocino.ca.us.

FREE Story Time for Toddlers.

Thurs. 11–12 pm. Redbud Library.

14785 Burns Valley Rd., Clearlake.

994-5115.

Mendo Human Race Kick Off Party.

Organizers will host a kick-off event & party at Slam Dunk Pizza. Tah Dah Productions will provide music & fun. The event is open to all, but it’s designed for fundraising teams & captains to pick up info. Starts at 5:30 pm. For more info & to receive a coupon for the Kick-Off Party, call 260-2582.

4 Friday FREE Eight-week classes. Help parents find positive solutions to common behavior problems.

Free childcare provided. Fris. 10 am–noon. Safe Passage Family Resource Center. 208 Dana St., Fort Bragg. 964-3077.

FREE Story Time for Preschoolers.

Fris. 10:15–11:30 am. Lakeport Library. 1425 N. High St., Lakeport.

263-8817.

FREE Grace Hudson Museum. Free

to all on the first Friday of each month. 10 am–4:30 pm. 431 S. Main St., Ukiah. gracehudsonmuseum.org.

A History of Whisky in America

T

aste the past, savor the present at the Ely Stage Stop Museum on Saturday, April 12th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. for this tasty and educational fundraiser. The tasting will be lead by Steve Beal, Keeper of the Quaich, Senior Master of Whisky for DIAGEO, the world’s largest producer of whisky, including Bulleit Bourbon & Rye, George Dickel Tennessee Whiskeys, Johnnie Walker Scotch and many more.

Taste whiskies from distilleries popular during the Victorian and Stage Coach eras. Learn the history of whisky in America. Enjoy perfectly paired appetizers presented by Rosey Cooks, Lake County gourmet caterer, and support the museum’s new blacksmith shop.

Tickets are $75 per person and include whisky tasting and appetizers.

Tickets must be purchased in advance by Sunday, March 30 as seating is limited to 25. Guests must be 21 years of age to participate. Call 707-279-0493 for your tasting ticket. Visit elystagestop.com for more information. ¶

24 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Guys & Dolls Jr. Set in mythical New York City, Guys & Dolls Jr. introduces us to colorful characters who have become legends in musical theatre. Fris. & Sats. 7:30–9:30 pm.

Suns. 3 pm. Last show 4/13. Adults $18, Youth 12 & under $8. Eagle Hall Theatre. Fort Bragg. 964.7469. gloriana.org.

5 Saturday 39th Cloverdale Fiddle Festival. In

addition to the fiddle contest there will again be open divisions for non fiddlers in mandolin and guitar. 9

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

am. Citrus Fairgrounds. 1 Citrus Fair Dr., Cloverdale. 829-8012.

FREE Annual Rummage Sale.

Hosted by the Civic Club. Snacks & lunch avail. Sat. & Sun. 10 am–4 pm. Greenwood Community Center.

6129 S. Hwy. 1, Elk. 877-1130.

10 Thursday The Tall Ship Hawaiian Chieftain in Fort Bragg. The

ship will dock in Noyo Harbor. It includes education programs, dockside tours. Thur.– Fri 4–5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Adventure Sails 2-4 p.m. A

chance to sail on a this tall ship, raise a sail & learn a sea shanty. mendocinocoast.com.

FREE Friends of Boggs Mt Hike.

3 mile casual-paced hike on Interpretive Trail. Bring water, a snack & wear sturdy shoes.

8:30–10:30 am. Boggs Parking lot. dheco@me.com or 928-559.

FREE The Mendo County Sheriff’s

Access. Quality. Care.

Activities League (SAL). Willits

Youth offeres SAL karate at Body Works Gym. Open enrollment classes Mons. & Sats. Space limited! Adult w/5–11 yrs. Mons.

6:30–7:15 p.m. Teens–adults. Sats.

7:30–8:30 p.m. Preskill course. 3–6 yrs. 1:30–1:45 p.m. Adult w/5–11 yrs.

2–2:45 p.m. Teens–adults. 3–4:30 pm.

1511 S. Main St., Willits. 468-4288.

The Ukiah Bicycle Kitchen. Volunteers

set up the kitchen every week w/ mechanical knowledge, repair stands, & tools to show how to maintain & repair bicycles. Bring your bike & your questions. No one turned away for lack of funds. 10 am–noon. Alex Thomas Plaza. Ukiah. visitukiah.com.

6 Sunday FREE Farm Tours. Presented by Mendocino’s Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). Eat seasonal healthy food. Save time doing groceries. No two farms alike! Some CSAs accept CalFresh/SNAP or flex. paymts. Just Ask! Dates & times vary by location. Visit our website: mendocinolocalfood.org.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

We Care for Kids B ECAU S E We Care about Kids You do have a choice about where to take your child for care. We’re here for you.

707-468-1010

707-263-7725

707-456-9600

333 LAWS AVE., UKIAH

5335 LAKESHORE BLVD. LAKEPORT

45 HAZEL ST., WILLITS

mchcinc.org - FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS

MEDICAL • DENTAL • BEHAVIORAL HEALTH • CARE FOR HER April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 25

Packing Co. Inc. 4825 Loasa Rd., Kelseyville.

11 Friday FREE Family Expo & Camp Fair. Summer camps, family travel, fun, raffles, kids activities & stage performances. All ages welcome. 3:30–7:30 pm.

586-9562. Sonomfamilylife.com.

12 Saturday Free 4th Annual Advocacy Walk & Children’s Festival. Take a stand

for children. 10 am. Library Park.

Lakeport. To register, go to lakecoe.org.

5th Annual Celebrity Lip Sync. Sat.

3 pm. & 7 pm. Sun. 2 pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Soper Reese Community Theater.

275 Main St., Lakeport. 263-5092.

5th Annual Donut Run. Adult

5K Run/Walk. Early Registration $25.

Kids Registration $5. 1/2K (ages 4–5) &1K (ages 10 & under). Check in race: 7:15–8:15 a.m. Kids Run 8 am. 5K Run/Walk starts 8:30 am.

Race starts & ends at Adobe Creek

KICK IT OUT!

Under the Big Sky School Carnival.

Benefiting Geyserville Elementary School to help fund art & music programs, fieldtrips & assemblies.

Food, games, entertainment & family fun. 11 am–4 pm. 21485 Geyserville Ave. 433-2787.

15 Tuesday 8th Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser. Enjoy

great food and take home a handmade bowl created & donated by local ceramic artists.

Silent auction & raffle. Funds will support meals for the needy in our community. Tickets $50/person or for group table, call Plowshares’ Community Dining Room. 5:30 pm.

462-8582.

Earth Day Kids Class. We

will plant seedlings & prepare for a garden at home and prepare fruit & veggie snacks. We will practice ways children can recycle & be earth friendly. Ages 5–12. 4–5 pm. or 5:30–6:30 pm. This is a drop-off class; you don’t need to stay! $12/$7 for Member-Owners. RSVP: Ukiahcoop.com or call 462-4778.

LET US HELP YOU FIND YOURS

Lake County Martial Arts 26 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Just the Farm Tour portion of this event is free for Wine Club members & children under 12. 3–8 pm. $45/per person, $30/ Frey Organic Wine Club members.

Frey Vineyards. 485.5177 or go to freywine.com.

Tour & Dinner.

16 Wednesday

• Respect • Discipline • Self Confidence

1624 Parallel Dr, Lakeport,

Frey Earth Day Biodynamic Farm

263-0706

18 Friday FREE Lions Club - Easter Egg Hunt.

All Day. Mendocino County Fair Grounds. 895-3011.

19 Saturday FREE Big River Clean & Canoe Event.

Party for the planet at Big River!

Give thanks thru trash & invasive plant removal on Big River’s north bank. 10 am–noon. Take a break for lunch, then Catch-a-Canoe on Big River’s south bank from 1–3 pm.

Reservations necessary! 962-0470. mendocinolandtrust.org.

FREE Kids Free Day! Celebrate the starry, starry spring night by making a star clock, solar viewer, constellation scope & more. 10 am–5 pm. Charles M. Schulz Museum. Santa Rosa.

579-4452.

FREE Children’s Push Pull Pet Parade. Kids & their pets. Ages 0–12.

Push, pull, ride or lead their pets, parading around Library Park. bikes, scooters, any non-motorized mode of transport. Prizes for best pets/ costumes/decorations/conveyance.

10–11 am. Begins at northeast corner of the park by the 3rd St. boat launch. Library Park. Lakeport.

263-8843. Rain cancels. info@ lakeportmainstreet.com.

22 Tuesday FREE Mendocino College Foundation Tour. Followed by a light lunch. Limited to 20 participants. Reserve your spot.

12–1:30 pm. 1000 Hensley Creek Rd., Ukiah. 467-1018. Foundation@ mendocino.edu.

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

24 Thursday FREE Pretty for Prom. Pick

out a beautiful free prom dress. Students must be attending prom this year and have a valid i.d. The Arbor Youth Resource Center. 303 N. Main St., Ukiah. Call 468-5536 for an appointment.

26 Saturday FREE Early Childhood Morning.

Parents with children ages 2 & 3 are invited to attend & bake bread, puppet play, playground play & Waldorf Q&A. Waldorf School of Mendocino. 6280 Third Street. Calpella. 707-485-8719. waldorfmendocino.com 7th Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. Hosted by Humane Society for Inland Mendocino Co. Vegetarian option avail. Beer & Wine. Silent Auction. Reservations recommended. Adults/$18. Seniors & Students/$15. 6 & under/free.

Dinner served 5–7 pm. Music & dancing. 5–9 pm. Barra of Mendocino Winery. 7051 N. State St., Redwood Valley. 485-0123.

4th Annual Rodeo Kickoff Dance.

Fundraiser to support the 85th Annual Lake Co. Rodeo happening mid–July. Raffle prizes & great music for all! Doors open 5 pm.

Dinner served 6:30 pm. Music 8 pm. $25/person. Fritch Hall. 401 Martin St., Lakeport. 349-1991.

FREE 3rd Annual Earth Day. Family

Fun Day! Learn all about Bees & Beekeeping. 11 am–5 pm. Solar Living Institute. Hopland. 472-2460. solarliving.org. www.mendolakefamilylife.com

FREE 8th Earth Day Festival. This

fun family event supports the Farm to School Program at the Fort Bragg Union School District.

Live music, culinary showcases, hands-on workshops, kids’ activities, community art project & the Spring Plant Sale. 12–5 pm. Fort Bragg H.S. Learning Garden. 300 Dana St. 964-0218. noyofoodforest.org.

FREE Annual Spring Wildflower Show. Plants

are for sale. There is a tea room for refreshments, books for sale & a raffle. Sat. & Sun. 10 am.–4 pm. Boonville Fairgrounds. June Hall. 895-2609.

FREE Mendocino County Garden Expo. Family-oriented.

Teaches area gardeners tips & techniques to help make the transition to organic & healthy food cultivation. 10 am.–5 pm. Carl Purdy Hall. Ukiah Fairgrounds. mendocino-greenhouse.com.

Dragon Egg Hunt!

Adults & Children On Site Now Thru Easter

101 S. Main St. Ukiah 462-4010

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Spring Plant and Store Sale. Through May 4. 9 am.–5 pm.

18220 N. Hwy. One, 2 Miles South of Fort Bragg. gardenbythesea.org.

Relay for Life Dance. Come

& enjoy the Relay For Life Dance. There will be music, dancing & a whole lot of fun to benefit Relay For Life.

Beverages & food available for sale. 7–10 pm. Willits Sr. Center.

1501 Harrah Baechtel Rd., Willits.

459-6826.

Annual Clean-Up Downtown Lakeport Day. Come join us for a morning of light work, coffee, donuts & good fun. The event is also appropriate for children ages 10 & up (with adult) & can be counted as community service

April 2014

Leap into Spring with Dance Classes for all Ages & Levels from 3-Adult

NEW BOYS TAP CLASS • BALLET JAZZ • TAP • MUSICAL THEATER CONTEMPORARY DANCE SPECIAL “ART OF CLASSICAL BALLET” PROGRAM

“Where Dreams to Dance Come True”

205 South State Street, Ukiah • 463-2290 www.mendocinoballet.org

MendoLakeFamilyLife 27

for HS students. Bring brooms to reach cobwebs, dust pans, weeding tools, buckets & ladders. 7–10 am.

Meet at Angelina’s Bakery. 365 N. Main St., Lakeport. 263-8843. info@ lakeportmainstreet.com.

27 Sunday FREE Open House & Variety Show.

One, Fun Variety Show! Learn about our Unique Program for K–12.

2–3pm. La Vida Charter School.

Ridgewood Ranch, North of Ukiah (Home of Seabiscuit) 459-6344. lavidaschool.org FREE Horticultural Happening! 2nd Annual Garden Show feat. display gardens by landscape designers, vendors w/products for the garden, children’s gardening activities, one-of-a-kind sculpture, seminars & speakers. Activities at the Historic Red Barn & Tallman Hotel. Sat. & Sun. 10 am–4 pm. Main St., Upper Lake. 275-2244 ext. 501.

FREE Kelseyville Olive Festival.

Enjoy a day of family fun. Contests, vendors & children booths, cooking demonstrations, product samples & more! 11 am–5 pm. Chacewater Winery & Olive Mill. 5625 Gaddy Ln., Kelseyville. 279-0483.

KelseyvilleOliveFestival.com.

Wildflower Brunch. Fundraiser

for the Clear Lake State Park. This fun, family-oriented day includes birding & nature walks, exhibits, & music.

Reservations required. 9 am–noon.

Clear Lake State Park. Kelseyville.

279-4293. clearlakestatepark.org.

28 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Trail Bars Yield: 12-18 bars Prep time: 20 minutes 3/4 cup Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, stirred 1/4 cup Honey 6 Tbs Water 1 cup Chocolate whey protein powdered drink mix 2 cups Granola cereal with raisins 1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips Line 8-by-8-inch pan with foil, extending foil up sides of pan.

Place peanut butter and honey in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds. Stir until mixture is smooth.

Whisk water and powdered drink mix until blended. Add to peanut butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in granola and chocolate chips until evenly moistened. Press evenly in prepared pan. Chill 1 hour. Cut into bars.

To press in pan, coat piece of wax paper with no-stick cooking spray.

Place coated side down on bar mixture. Flatten with hands. Remove paper carefully. ¶

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

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MendoLakeFamilyLife 29

Humor Break

moMENts & A Truckload of Kisses

but we were having an enjoyable daddy-daughter picnic.

By Patrick Hempfing

M

y nine-year-old daughter, Jessie, loves to have picnics. Our picnics can be held anywhere.

We sometimes park the family van under the shade tree in our yard and open the sunroof and windows.

On other occasions, I’ll throw a blanket in the bed of my pickup truck or on the garage floor. For our dog, Sadie’s first birthday, Jessie held a picnic party on her bedroom floor and invited several stuffed animals. Rice Krispies covered the just-vacuumed floor, and Jessie sat on the tiny cup of peanut butter she had made for Sadie, but Jessie had fun and Sadie appeared to have a happy birthday.

Jessie often asks, “Could we have a picnic?” so I wasn’t surprised that she requested one for our last lunch of 2013. With the weather cloudy and cool, I voted to eat at the kitchen table, but she really wanted to have a picnic outside. I vetoed throwing a blanket on the lawn and told her the garage floor was too cold. My “never give up” daughter suggested the bed of the pickup truck. We had washed it recently, so she knew I couldn’t use the “it’s dirty” excuse. So I made the logical choice; I surrendered. It’s happened before and it will happen again.

30 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Jessie said, “Don’t look, please” about five times as she prepared the picnic for the three “D’s” (dad, daughter, and dog). She likes to surprise me with the menu.

When she had everything ready, we took our picnic outside, which required a few trips. I threw an old blanket in the truck bed, and then retrieved Sadie, who attends every

“Regular, butterfly, blown, Eskimo, and French.” picnic. The temperature was in the low 50’s and the breeze made it cool, but not like the winters where I grew up in Pennsylvania. Sadie promptly spilled her water all over the blanket.

Jessie ripped off her shoes and socks, as all picnics require bare feet. We had cheese, raisins, nuts, and crackers for dipping in the peanut butter and honey she had mixed. Jessie even remembered napkins and plasticware.

Of course, we had dessert, too—a piece of chocolate candy for her, Oreo cookies for me. Okay, lunch may not have covered all the basic food groups,

As we ate, I played one of my favorite songs, “Butterfly Kisses,” on my phone. I was enjoying the lyrics when Jessie asked, “Do you know there are five different kinds of kisses?” I was afraid to ask, but did anyway. “What are the five kinds?”

Jessie responded, “Regular, butterfly, blown, Eskimo, and French.” Luckily, I wasn’t sitting near the edge of the open truck gate, lest I would have fallen out onto the concrete driveway. I bravely decided to ask a follow-up question.

“What is a French kiss?” Jessie responded, “The tongues touch when kissing.” How did we go from butterfly kisses to teenage topics? When the song ended, Jessie reached over and found Taylor Swift’s “22” on my phone.

She played it twice. I’m definitely not ready for Jessie “feeling 22.”

As I’m finishing this column, I’m hungry. My picnic lunch has worn off.

In a few hours, the giant ball will drop over Times Square. Prior to midnight I’ll lean over my sleeping daughter and give her forehead a “regular” kiss before I go to bed. I’m glad she’s nine, not 22, so I still have a few years to give her bedtime kisses. I’m sure the future holds many more picnics too. I think we’ll have more of our picnics in the yard. The grass makes for a softer landing. ¶

April 2014 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

April 2014

MendoLakeFamilyLife 31

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