Adults! 

Gen-X moms will love this book!

Gen-X dads will get to understand

"how women think".

     "She's funny. She's fearless. She's Erma Bombeck in Carrie Bradshaw's stilettos.  From swanky, seaside Santa Barbara, where carpools collide with couture, award-winning journalist Starshine Roshell turns a keen eye -and dazzling wit- to the puzzles and peeves of modern gal-hood.  In this collection of smart, stylish stories from her nationally syndicated column, the Gen-X everymom mines for meaning in Pilates and politics, swing sets and strip clubs."

     I started reading it and lost all my stress knots laughing out loud at images conjured up by Starshine's columns.  Favorite chapters, so far, are Growing Up by Bleeps and Bounds -My Foul Mouthed Toddler, The Third Graders Guide to Girls and Ode to Love.  I like Starshine's sassy commentary, even when it makes me blush!   You will too!  Parmalee

Starshine Roshell is a journalist and overwhelmed mother of two.  Visit her at starshineroshell.com. 

Win a copy of

Keep Your Skirt On, Kicky Columns with Legs!

      Inspire Your Student to

Enter Seymour Center's Marine Art Contest!

      Students in grades K through 12 should submit their artwork between February 3 and 17.

     Contest details are online including submission "rules."

     Visit to the center to gain inspiration!

     Prizes for students and teachers include Seymour Center T-shirts, books, art supplies, memberships, and free future field trips!

      Winners are are announced and honored at an awards ceremony in April. Six winners' masterpieces are then selected to become boxed notecards for sale at the Jingle Shells Holiday Crafts sale, with all proceeds going for the support of the Center. Prizes for students and teachers include Seymour Center T-shirts, books, art supplies, memberships, and free future field trips!

Seymour Center Contest Information

Free Parenting Teleclass

Valentine-Sweet Kids:

Inspiring Your Child's Best

You will learn:

1- The Sweet Secret of inspiring your child's greatness
2- The #1 Key to creating lifetime loyalty
3- How to keep your child "sweet on you"

Tuesday, February 10, 6pm PST, More info here!

Events

See full Calendar for Events Details

Wednesdays 2/4-25, 7-9pm, World of the Young Child Parenting Classes, Santa Cruz Waldorf School, $75 per person, or $100 per couple. We'll look at developmental stages of the physical and self-consciousness of the young child, leading to discussion on ways to truly connect with the child and support his or her individual development.

Fri, 2/6 Get a Taste of Bauman College, Santa Cruz, You'll enjoy an evening of nutrition and healthy culinary delights and learn tips and techniques from one of our Natural Chef Instructors who will demonstrate how to make a mouth watering dish with ample tastings provided. Raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the evening as we share an enlightening time with our graduate guest speakers and Executive Director, Dr. Ed Bauman. We'll end with tea and a scrumptious dessert bar brimming with delectable and savory treats.

Fri, 2/6 7pm, Peter Pan, Aptos Academy,Free, This classic tale will be performed by Aptos Academy students in first through fifth grade and features swash-buckling sword fights and comedy. Always a fun production at Aptos Academy!

Fri, 2/6 7:40pm, Contra Dance - Traditional New England Folk Dance, Felton
Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz, Contra Dancing, also called Traditional New England Folk dancing, involves couples dancing in two facing lines while following the directions of the dance caller. Each dance is about 10 minutes long, after which everyone changes partners.

Sat, 2/7, 8am-12pm, Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Market, Aptos, Do your weekly shopping while enjoying live Bluegrass by the Farmers Market String Band or lively accordion music by one of Santa Cruz's favorite performing artists, The Great Morgani.

See full Calendar for Events Details!

Sat, 2/7 10am-1pm, Green Day Open House, Ask Tony the Gardener, Boulder Creek, A green open house will be held at the home of George and Karen Vega. The home's rain harvesting system will be on display along with a hi-tech gutter protection system. Expert gardener, newspaper columnist and horticulturist Tony Tomeo will be on hand to answer questions about sustainable gardening and drought tolerant plants. There will be free hotdogs, sodas and lots more information on sustainable energy systems.

Sat, 2/7 Acoustic Jam Session, Boulder Creek Rec Center, Free, Grab your instrument, guitar, banjo, drums, and trumpet or just come down and enjoy the biggest jam session in Boulder Creek. All ages, instruments, abilities welcome!

Sun, 2/8 2-5pm, Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival, UCSC Women's Club, Chocolate tasting from 30 area vendors, silent auction and live jazz. Fun for the entire family! Cocoanut Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Wed, 2/4 1-6pm Downtown & Sat, 1/31, 9-1 West Side , Santa Cruz Farmers Markets, The Santa Cruz Farmers Markets offer a moveable feast of fresh, locally grown produce, free-range eggs, grass-fed meats and poultry, as well as baked goods, ready-to-eat treats and espresso drinks.
Downtown: Lincoln & Cedar  ~  West Side: 2801 Mission

2/8, 3-4pm, Wild Cat Adventure features 5 live wild cats from around the world. Each cat is shown on stage as information about the species is shared with the audience. Rio

Tues, 2/10, 6pm, Free Parent Teleclass with Lorraine Pursell

Weds, 2/11 6-8pm, Free Workshop: How to Interpret Educational & Academic Testing, Chartwell School, Free, We will review the bell curve and learn about the types of assessments and what they measure. The presenter will relate this information to specific learning styles and discuss how this data is used to determine how students learn best. John Aulenta, licensed educational psychologist.

See full Calendar for Events Details!

Daily 10:30am & 3:30pm Penguin Feeding, Meet Pierre, Howard, Ocio and the rest of the African Penguin colony. Academy marine biologists will field visitor questions while feeding and caring for them.

Daily 11:30am-4:30pm every hour on the half hour, Planetarium Shows, Lift off from planet Earth and take a jaw-dropping ride to the far reaches of the Universe. The Academy's initial program, Fragile Planet, is projected onto a 75-foot diameter screen.
Daily 11:30am & 2:30pm, Coral Reef Dives, Meet a coral reef diver who descends into the exhibit to introduce you to the world's deepest living coral reef exhibit.

Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm, on the hour, Bugs! Slip on a pair of 3D glasses and check out Bugs! Shot on location in the tropical forests of Borneo, this 25-minute film is premiering in the new Hearst 3D theater.

Sat & Sun, 11am, 1pm & 3pm Swamp Talk, Join us at the Swamp to learn about some of the Academy's most popular animals, including the albino alligator and the alligator snapping turtles. You'll find out what it takes to care for these amazing creatures, which are native to swamps in the southeastern United States.

See full Calendar for Events Details!

1/30-2/8 7-9:30pm, The Producers - Musical Production, All About Theatre, Down-on-his-luck Broadway producer, Max Bialystock, and a nerdy, young accountant, Leo Bloom, concoct a scheme to raise thousands of dollars from backers and then put on a flop of a show. With all the money that will be leftover, the pair will be rich! Only one thing goes wrong: the show is a gigantic hit!

See full Calendar for Events Details!

Suki Wessling's Blog

     I hope you are enjoying Suki's blogs.  Her personal chronicling of her parenting journey warms my heart.  Suki approaches serious topics with gentle humor and perceptive insight.  You can receive instant notice whenever she posts a new blog by clicking on the orange RSS feed button at the bottom of the homepage.  Suki welcomes your feedback, comments, and your own stories.  Please share!

     Today's Advice

     Occasionally it occurred to me that as our kids went through their preschool years, they exhibited pretty much all the major psychiatric disorders. Obsessive-compulsive ("I will only use the pink plate!"), delusional ("I didn't draw on the wall, my baby doll did."), hearing voices ("My imaginary friend told me"), depression ("This is the WORST thing that ever happened to me!"). (continued...)

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Books from Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy, 

founder of Merit World, to Inspire You!

For Parents of Preschoolers

Free Childcare In Your Home

     This guide by local educator, Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy, founder of Merit Academy and the Merit Curriculum Guides, takes parents step-by-step through everything you need to know about starting up childcare in your home  -from planning to execution.

For parents of college bound students  

Beat the College Admissions Game,

Do a Project!

    Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy, is successful at helping students go to the college of their choice!  "Admission officers admit students who are engaged in intellectually stimulating activities. When these students write their college application essay, they don’t write about how they hope to do something, they write about how they initiated a movement or started a nonprofit to make a difference while.."

     Read about the inspiring story of MeritWorld.com.