Friday, October 31, 2014

Cool Patch Pumpkins, 2014

Cool Patch Pumpkins, along Highway 80 near Davis, is very dog friendly. He was even welcome on the hayride!  The place is Mo heaven with tons of yummy snacks and other smells to sniff, hay to roll around in, humans to give him attention, and plenty of places to play chase with his humans!  We humans love this place too, it is the best pumpkin patch we've ever been to.

Why?
-The people who work here are really friendly and accommodating. 
-Tractor rides
-Pumpkins really grow here, and can be seen on the vine -- great selection.
-Vats of corn for playing in.
-4-wheeled car-like bikes to ride on a dirt track through a cornfield 
-All kinds of forts for children and dogs to run in and out of.
-With 5 or more children, you can have a school discount!































Melissa & Doug role play sets make great costumes! Fun even after Halloween!

I love the Melissa & Doug role play sets.  My son has been playing with them for at least a few years!  They are a wonderful for Halloween since the kit includes everything you need, then you can add your own accents for fun!

My son is loves dressing up as a cowboy right now, we started with a Melissa and Doug kit, then added our own touches from a Western wear store!

Resources:

Melissa & Doug
1-800-284-3948
www.MelissaAndDoug.com
P.O. Box 590, Westport, CT  06881

Bishop Pumpkin Patch, Wheatland,CA- tractor rides, pig show, railroad, apple cider-

My favorite pumpkin patch I've been to in California is the Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon, CA near the Milk Farm sign off I-80.  Yet, I've been told by some that the Bishop pumpkin patch in Wheatland is awesome!   Supposedly, it has more trees than Cool Patch.

Resources:

Bishop Pumpkin Patch
www.bishopspumpkinfarm.com
1415 Pumpkin Lane
Wheatland, CA
95692
(530) 633-2568


Sunday, October 26, 2014

CA history, Recommended book about Donner Party, Ordeal by Hunger, George Stewart

I was at Firehouse Museum in Nevada City with my son recently and they had an exhibit about the Donner Party.  The docent recommended the book, Ordeal by Hunger by George Stewart.

Jackson Associates- Partners in Educational Planning - focusing on optimal school choice for child or teen

"Finding the optimal school for your child will result in a lifetime of rewards for your entire family."
-Jackson Associates

Jackson Associates specialize in looking at day or residential settings for pre-teens, adolescent chidden, or young adults.

Alice Jackson, founder, partner
(415) 999-6394
alice@jackson-edcounseling.com

Brooke Jackson, partner
(415) 609-2361
brookejackson-edcounseling.com

Address:
Jackson Associates
Partners in Educational Planning
1030 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Suite 100-3
Kentfield, CA  94904

Educational Consultants in Calfornia focusing on educational environment choice for teens-

I was asked for a resource list of educational consultants in California focusing on placing teens,including those not doing well in their current placement, in a better and more appropriate day or boarding school.  The following is a list I found, which I will be editing based on reviews.

http://abundantlifeacademy.com/educational-consultants/

Cool Patch Pumpkins- my favorite pumpkin patch in 2014, plus worlds biggest corn maze, Dixon, CA

My favorite pumpkin patch this year is Cool Patch Pumpkin in Dixon, CA.  This pumpkin patch also has the largest corn maze in the world!  Two brothers started out with just a few acres and a lofty goal, then started building their mazes with an eye for the Guiness prize. They create a fresh design each year for the maze, starting with an idea and hand cutting each and every turn of the massive design.

I haven't taken my son on the maze yet, but we have gone into the fun zone with a giant pool of corn kernels and go karts, plus a tractor ride, and an area with forts and teepees. For my son, it is a fall wonderland!

What I love about this pumpkin patch is that when you are walking around, there are real pumpkins on real vines!  Many pumpkin patches I've seen in California do not really grow pumpkins, this place really is and looks like a farm!

Resources:

Cool Patch Pumpkins
6585 Milk Farm Rd.
Dixon, CA

Hours:
9:00AM-8:00PM, daily through November 1st

http://coolpatchpumpkins.com

Phone Number:  (530) 746-8723

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Pumpkin Train,Western Railway Museum, -Sat & Sun. - Oct. 11-Oct.26, 2014, Suisun,CA

Through October 26th, every weekend, there will be pumpkin patch trains at the Western Railway Museum in Suisun, CA.

Pumpkin Patch Festival
Western Railway Museum
5848 State Highway 12
Suisun,CA
94585
(707) 374-2978
Saturdays & Sundays, October 11th-October 26th, 2014

Tonight is Campfire Program at John Muir House in Martinez, CA. October 25th, 6:30PM

There is a campfire Program tonight at the John Muir House in Martinez, CA.

Date:  October 25, 2014
Time:  6:30PM
Where:  John Muir House, Martinez, CA
Phone number:  (925) 228-8860




Friday, October 24, 2014

Bridgeport, CA Fall Festival at the South Yuba River State Park on Sunday, October, 26, 2014- Free Admission

This Sunday, October 26th, 2014 from 11AM to 4PM there will be the Bridgeport Fall Festival at the South Yuba State Park. The admission is free, parking is $5.00.

-Hayrides
-Gold Panning
-Food & Drinks
-Barn Tours
-Children's Games and Crafts
-Pumpkin Painting
-Music
-Blacksmith & Composting Demos
-Live Birds
-1930's Gas Station
-Ghosts of Bridgeport (Opportunity to join the dramatic portrayal of Yankee Jim's funeral procession to the cemetery)

Fall Festival is a fundraising effort for " Save Our Bridge."


Bridgeport is located at 17660 Pleasant Valley Rd., Penn Valley, CA  (530) 432-2546

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Kindergym- Fun classes for children under 3's in Oakland, CA

KINDERGYM
@ Temple Beth Abraham
327 MacArthur Boulevard
Oakland,CA
www.tbaoakland.org/kindergym

Fun classes for children under 3 year old.  Kindergym has been around for 30 years, many of those years with Dawn!

Learning the letter "P" by writing in pudding!

When I taught a language delayed preschool class one of the things we had to do is help the children develop and use all their senses. One thing I did was have the children practice writing letters, or the letter "P" in pudding!  This is a fun, memorable experience with little ones, just make sure your little ones have no allergies to  the ingredients in pudding, and get parent permission first with any food tastings.  I used JELL-O brand, there is the cook n' serve and the instant variety.




FALL TRADITION in Northern California

A fall tradition we have started is going to Apple Hill in Placerville in the fall.  There is an entire website developed with all the places to visit!

apples and peanut butter, my son's favorite fall snack this year!

We went to apple hill in Placerville this past weekend and got some fresh apples. This season my son's favorite snack is fresh cut apples and peanut butter.  What really got him turned on to apples this fall was the apple festival at Garin Park in Hayward, see post I did recently.  They did apple tasting with 15 or so types of cut apple to taste.  This really inspired his love of apples in a way nothing else could!

He loves Maranatha Organic no stir peanut butter
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
Melville, NY
11747  USA
www.maranathafoods.com
1-800-749-0730

Starbucks great place now for a kids and adults snack break! Organic boxed mik, organic boxed apple juice,protein boxes

One of my favorite places now to stop off on road trips with my son is Starbucks.  They have boxed organic apple juice, organic milks, bags of popcorn, a protein box with a packet of peanut butter, apple slices, etc.  Plus, I can get a Oprah Chai tea latte with organic soy milk.

starbucks.com

Mommy endurance fuel- chocolate

I found this raw chocolate with ginseng that is great for giving energy!  Only 1 piece gives energy, don't have more than one!

Perfect Fuel Chocolate
ENDURANCE
raw dark chocolate
with ginseng

Perfect Fuel Chocolate  LLC
Boston, MA
www.PERFECTFUELCHOCOLATE.COM

Favorite felt brush markers- designed in Paris, France

I got these felt brush markers on sale for $10.00.  One size is thin marker, the other is thick.  They were originally 14.95 and I got them on sale for $10.00, which is still expensive for markers.  I have to say they really are extra fine and soft!  They would be great for an art kit for a child who has everything as these are super special!

Felt Markers
DJECO
3, rue des Grands Augustins
75006
paris, France
www.djeco.com
Made in Taiwan, designed in France

Soy Free Eggs

These are the soy free eggs we tried, great for those with soy allergies:

Chino Valley Ranchers
Organic Omega-3 Soy Free eggs
Chino Valley Ranchers
(800) 354-4503
Colton,CA  92324

Gluten Free Pancake mixes, our favorites!

These are our favorite gluten free pancake mixes:

King Arthur Flour gluten free pancake mix
Norwich, Vermont  05055
800-827-6836
kingarthurflour.com

Namaste Foods
Gluten Free
Waffle & Pancake Mix
Namaste Foods, LLC
PO Box 3133
Coeur d' Alene, ID  83816
www.namastefoods.com
1-866-258-9493

Rock Band classes - by Rock Band Land, all classes at the Verdi Club in San Francisco, CA

I heard about Rock Band classes from a friend of mine.  My son actually prefers country and blue grass right now, but he loves performing.  It sounds so fun to take a rock band class that I couldn't resist looking into it!

Resources:

Check out the current students "Big Show" at the Verdi Club
Sunday, October 26, 2014
12:30
The Verdi Club
San Francisco,CA
Need to buy tickets through http://rockbandland.org

New Classes starting in November
Rock Band Land
http://rockbandland.org
All classes held at the Verdi Club in San Francisco, CA

Monday, October 20, 2014

Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Train



Gold-Panning at the Sugar Pine Railroad:
The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad
56001 Highway 41
Fish Camp, CA  93623
(559) 683-7273
ymsprr.com



The locomotive:


Dinner line:


The first car:



Friendly dogs allowed on the train:



Entertainment at the campfire:


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Waldorf Homesschool Resources

I found a site with some wonderful Waldorf Homeschooling Resources
http://bayareawaldorf.blogspot.com/2009/0/web-site-0f-bay-area-waldorf-home.html

Health tips: 16 cancerous foods to keep family away from

My brother passed away from cancer a few years ago.  I still think about him, he was one of the healthiest people I knew. His life was taken far too soon. Do the foods we eat affect cancer?  Many believe they do.

Here are a list of 16 of the most cancerous foods.

1.  microwave popcorn
This one doesn't surprise me as a woman in my book group whose son is going to medical school told her that popcorn bags are lined with a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA.)  This is very dangerous chemical.

2.  non-organic fruits
Fruits that aren't organic are contaminated with dangerous pesticides such as atrazine, thiodicarb, and organophosphates, as well as high nitrogen fertilizers. Atrazine in banned in European countries, but still used here.

3.  Canned tomatoes
The lining of canned foods is almost always made with bisphenol-A or BPA.

4.  Processed Meats
Processed meats such as sausages, hot dogs, bacon and lunch meats such as bologna contain excessive salts and chemicals.

5.  Farmed Salmon
60% of salmon consumed in the USA is farm raised.  Farmed fish are fed unnatural diets and are contaminated with chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, and other known carcinogens.

6.  Potato Chips

7.  Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenated Oils are vegetable oils.  Vegetable oils cannot be extracted naturally like butter is.

8.  Foods that are highly salted, pickled, smoked, or cured by nitrates.
-smoked meats or nuts
-bacon, sausage, bologna, and salami are high in salt.

9.  Highly processed white flours.
Mills now bleach flour with chlorine gas.

10.  GMO's
(genetically modified organisms)
Look for labels that state food is GMO free.

11.  Refined sugars.
In order to proliferate, cancer cells seem to prefer feeding on fructose rich sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS.)

12.  Artificial sweeteners.

13.  Diet anything.

14.  Alcohol.

15.  Red meat.

16.  Soda pop.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Resource: National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit

A project of BWJP, the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit provides technical assistance on all issues related to the issuance and enforcement of protection orders across jurisdictional boundaries.

Resource: National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women

The National Clearinghouse for the defense of battered Women, in partnership with BWJP, provides customized technical assistance to battered women charged with crimes and to members of their defense teams (defense attorneys, advocates, expert witnesses and others.)

Resource: Battered Women's Justice Project

The Battered Women's Justice Project offers training, technical assistance, and consultation on the most promising practices of the criminal and civil justice systems in addressing domestic violence.  Staff attorneys and advocates can provide information and analyses on effective policing, prosecuting, sentencing, and monitoring of domestic violence offenders.