April 2021

Craft Time: Macrame Plant Hanger (Sunday, April 17th)
This is actually an adult-geared craft, but with help I think older kids could help.  (Maybe a good mommy/big sib activity for during little sib’s nap time:).   You can grab the supplies the week or so beforehand when you pick up your books. Seats go fast, so don’t wait on this one! 1-2:30 pm.  
https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7623082

New Octonaut Movie
Okay, this isn’t really a local event, but my oldest loves the Octonauts and there is a new movie coming out March 30th.  We don’t usually have Netflicks but we’re going to get it in April just to enjoy this sea adventure! 
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13779166/?ref_=vp_back

 Ivy and Pearls Run (Saturday, April 10th)
This fun run will “raise funds to provide education and services to increase the awareness of health disparities negatively impacting communities of color, specifically women and children”.  Unfortunately, our kiddos are too young (there is an age cutoff — I think 7 or 8 years), but I’ll be running ‘with’ a neighbor and it would be fun to have other moms participate! http://www.ivyandpearls.org/ivy-run-5k

Parenting Lectures with the Library (via Zoom) (Wednesday, April 28th)
More parenting lectures — I love these!  This month they are addressing the topic of
“Building Your Child’s Self-Confidence and Personal Power” 7-8 pm
  https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7521961

Spanish Storytimes (Tuesdays at 10 am)
Want your little kids to be introduced to some Spanish? The amazing Librarian Martinez will lead you in some stories and songs from the comfort of your favorite zoom spot!

Library Reopening for Limited Services (April. 15th — pending orange tier)
We are all loving the grab-and-go service, but the library is going to allow some inside browsing (but they are also still offering the grab-and-go outside:).
https://www.mountainview.gov/depts/library/about/currentlibraryservices.asp?fbclid=IwAR0VyZZCyXwbrZcSBUQPSczecTNKVVpbd3pWY0hNLSNDZ_DpcU0m5h3zvpU

Free Flower and Veggie Seeds from the MV Library (Anytime)
One my neighbors recently reminded me of the library’s cool seed program.  You can pick up your packets when you grab your books.  Thanks, Karin!
https://www.mountainview.gov/depts/library/services/seedlibrary.asp

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

Distinguished Author Series 
A friend recommended these cool author talks from the Santa Clara County Library District. Thanks, Wei Lynn!
https://sccld.org/authorseries/

Mountain View Chinese Library
This is a hidden gem for kids learning Chinese. Check it out! (We haven’t been going for a while, since their classes are all online due to COVID, but during normal times their in-person music class was a hit with Jonathan).  
http://www.booksandme.org/index_eng.html

Zoos Open
Oakland Zoo and Happy Hallow are now open to the general public, as well as Curiodyssey for members.  They are all limiting the number of visitors, so make your reservations early.  Also, the outdoor area of San Jose Discovery Museum is open.  And the new (well, old but remodeled) Palo Alto Children’s Museum has flamingos, peacocks and a tortoise you can watch from outside for free right now!

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.
https://www.ymcasv.org/schedules/group-exercise-schedule/el-camino-ymca

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

Mothers Together Mountain View (Thursdays)
Menlo Church Mountain View has been hosting a fantastic mom’s group for many years.   However, with the. conveniences  of Zoom, it is particularly easy to join in right now.   My small group ‘meets’ online at 8 pm on Thursdays (and there is a Thursday morning option too if that works better for your schedule). The format is a short talk from a speaker (usually 30 minutes),  followed by discussion, sharing and prayer. The women in my group are so warm and welcoming,  and would be delighted to have new moms join.  Just shoot me an email if. you are interested and I can give you more information.  Or just sign up to check it out here:
https://menlo.church/mountainview/group/mothers-together-mountain-view

Our last series of talks was about on conflict management by Phillipa Perkin,  and I loved them.  You can see her talks here on our Mothers Together YouTube Channel.

Farm and Other Getaways (Anytime)
We’ve done a few local AirBnBs during the pandemic that were super fun and safe.  Since we’re about to enter red tier (woohoo!) and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about these stays,  I thought I would share here:

Farm in Petaluma (chickens, ducks, peacocks, dogs, goats, horses, zebra, emus, alpacas.  Bring carrots to feed the animals!)
Yurt Glamping in Los Gatos (Lovely vineyard views (and delicious grapes) and very nice private bathroom)
Horse Farm in Lodi (No horse feeding allowed,  but very friendly dogs and lots of space for hiking and exploring)
Farm in Carmel Valley  (alpacas, horses, giant tortoises, goats, sheep, donkey) — We haven’t stayed here yet, but it was highly recommended by a friend and we’ve booked a trip for the fall.  (Thanks, Sarah!)

Also, for a short day-time outing, Deer Hollow has goats and a calf you can see from the fence (although you can’t go into the farm) and Hidden Villa you can reserve a farm visit for $10. 

April Parenting Book Club
Shoot me an email if you’d like to discuss this month’s book:
Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart by Jim Jackson

May: You pick!  Send me your favorite parenting book and I’ll read and discuss it with you!