January 2021

Parenting Lecture: January (Wed, Jan 20th)
Mountain View Library’s parenting lectures are now on Zoom.  And this month’s lecture looks like a good one.  The topic is “Raising Kindness and Awareness in Children.”   Join me if you too feel that perhaps our world could use a little more kindness!  7 pm – 8:30 pm.
https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7308990

A-Z Mythical Creatures (Thur, Jan 28th)
Who doesn’t love a unicorn?!  This month Librarian Alex will be teaching us about mythical creatures that live on land.  4 -4:30 pm (via Zoom)
https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7333357

Pajama Dance Parties (Thursdays)
Every Thursday evening join Librarian Sharon for a little dance party in your pajamas (from the comfort of your living room)!
https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7331492

Parks are Open (Now!)
As you have probably already noticed, the parks in Mountain View have reopened!  Happy playing!
https://www.mountainview.gov/depts/cs/parks/parks/default.asp

YMCA Classes
I’ve been a big fan and evangelist for the YMCA for several years now, and have been so pleased with how they’ve handled the pandemic — from providing childcare for essential workers to creating safe avenues for staying healthy in both mind and body.  I noticed some new fun classes coming month, including Zoom art classes (as well as lots of online and in-person outdoor exercise classes).
https://www.ymcasv.org/schedules/group-exercise-schedule/el-camino-ymca

Free COVID-19 Tests at El Camino Hospital
Our son’s preschool requires a negative COVID-19 test for all the students and teachers before they can return back to class after the winter holiday.  El Camino Hospital (right across from El Camino YMCA) has free tests for asymptomatic people in the El Camino Hospital District (and now maybe even for people outside he district?).  It was super easy to schedule and felt very safe and well organized.
https://www.elcaminohealth.org/covid19testing

And, on a related note, Google and possibly other tech companies have started to offer free at-home test kits for employees!

Kindergarten Warmup (Fridays)
I just love the MV Library (Can you tell?!).  They are having a weekly Zoom session on Friday mornings 10-10:30 am to get preschoolers ready for kindergarten.  This month is all about Social Awareness.
https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/6962396

January Parenting Book Club
Shoot me an email if you’d like to discuss this month’s book: The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi and Emily P. Freeman (Thanks for the suggestion, Sharon S.!)

Next Month (February): Playful Parenting: An Exciting New Approach to Raising Children That Will Help You Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Confidence by Lawrence J. Cohen

March: Explosive Child, The: A New Approach For Understanding And Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene PhD