The Preschool Primer

On October 17th, Nick and I are attending the annual preschool preview night at The San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. What’s that you say? Our baby is not quite six months old – we have plenty of time? Ah, if only that were true!  With some preschools in the city accepting applications to a waiting list upon birth,we might be actually be lagging a bit behind.

There’s no doubt that applying to preschools is a competitive sport here. On average, San Francisco families apply to 5-10 preschools for their first child (admissions preference usually given to siblings so the first time round is the toughie.) This preview night is a must-attend event and our chance to schmooze with over 100 preschools admissions representatives in one giant toddler-focused exhibit hall.

Now that we are just a few weeks away, we are officially in training. While we will attend with minds wide open, we also want to be prepared. We are doing our homework and there may or may not be spreadsheet involved. Armed with some wonderful recommendations and research from great online resources such as Golden Gate Mother's Group and Savvy Source, we are fine tuning our list and honing in on our targets. We’re coming for you, preschool preview night, game on!

From the Weekend, with Love

This weekend, the next round of great toys and resources that we were so lucky to receive at Cal’s shower came out of storage and into rotation. First up: the high chair! Cal will be starting solid food in just a few weeks and is already looking good in his new seat at the dinner table.  

Also new to the game: ExerSaucer’s Active Learning Center and The Graco Bumper Jumper. Although he is already taking both by storm, nothing compares to Cal's feet when it comes to the ultimate entertainment resource. 

Walks in the park, visits with good friends and prime seating at Ten-Ichi's sushi bar. All in all, not a bad little weekend. 

The Better Bath

The weekend is here! Now that I wake up to a little munchkin every day at 6am (if we are lucky and he feels like sleeping in!), Friday night fun comes in a whole new form. These days, A 30-45 minute pre-bed soak is my perfect work week wind down and on most Fridays I get to indulge.  

I am now a master at perfecting the process. Behold, my bath list essentials: 

Beautiful bath oils, a nice, natural sponge, a good, dreamy read, a lovely libation, a decadent candle collection, and the perfect playlist. 
My soaking songs:  

The XX – VCR

The National – Fake Empire

Norah Jones -  Sunrise

The Shins -New Slang 

Bon Ivor – Flume

Willie Nelson - Always on My Mind

Phoenix – If I ever feel better

Modest Mouse – Float On

Jack Johnson – Banana Pancakes

Stan Getz & João Gilberto - The Girl from Ipanema

Regina Spektor  - Fidelity

Zero 7 -  In The Waiting Line

Simon and Garfunkel -The Only Living Boy in New York -

Coldplay - Yellow 

The Backup Backpack

Fjallraven Kanken Backpack

One of the great tips we picked up at our childbirth preparation class was the idea of putting together an emergency backpack. We live in earthquake territory but I think this is a good idea no matter where you call home. 

Since wrangling Cal out the door for a 10 minute trip to the store can often take longer than the errand itself, I certainly can’t imagine successfully rounding up the essentials and exiting with any speed or dexterity during an actual emergency. Hopefully it will never be used, but in the event it is needed, the backpack is ready to go!

We consulted a few resources and came up with the following list: 

1. Premixed formula and baby food

2. A large bottle of water

3. Bottle, nipples and sippy cups

4. Emergency phone numbers in a ziplock bag

5. Diapers and wipes

6. Hand sanitizer

7. A warm change of clothes

8. Mini first aid kit that contains a fever reducer and thermometer

9. A pacifier and a comforting toy or blankie  

10. A large blanket or several thick swaddles  

11. Flashlight

12. Cash 

 *These items work for our backpack but for a comprehensive list, consult the experts!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Today we took Cal to his first baseball game!  An absolute champ, he was all smiles and completely enthralled with the excitement and energy of the afternoon. Daddy has been rooting for The Giants for 30 plus years so I think it’s safe to say that our little SF native has a lot more games ahead of him (hopefully with a Giants win next time!) 

All Hail the Single Mother!

How do single moms do it? This week, Cal and I experienced Daddy’s first work trip since we became a family. We had a lot of laughs, and Cal mercifully slept like a little champ so, all in all, I do declare the experience a great success. I have to admit, though, that this very brief exposure to single parenthood made me really appreciate what a wonderful partner I have in Nick. We truly do tackle the challenges of being new parents as a team.  

It is a  big challenge to juggle the early wake up call, morning, evening and middle of the night feedings  -complete with their own routines, frenzied commuting, demands of the office, and the most important job of soaking up every precious minute we can with our little one. We lean on each other daily to find a balance that puts us in the best position to succeed at home and at work (some days are more effective in that regard than others...)

It’s crazy enough taking good care of a newborn and managing a full time job.  Knowing that many moms (and dads!) are doing it all on their own, each day, every day, makes me want to pass out purple hearts in parenting.  I don’t know how they do it, but I salute them one hundred percent!

From the Weekend, with Love

A day with Grandma Patti and Grandpa Bob! Happy Napa baby!

So spoiled with good weather! 75 in San Francisco on Labor Day!

Chasing the Sun

It is pretty typical for San Francisco residents to flee the fog and get out of town on summer weekends. With so many incredible locations a few hours away - Tahoe, Monterey, Wine Country, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, Yosemite… and my love letter to California destinations could go on and on… - we really are spoiled for choice.

Since the car is one of Cal’s least favorite places, (I know, I thought all babies were lulled to sleep in their car seats too - not so with our little one!) we haven’t made it out of the city as much as usual. This weekend, however, we are tackling the car seat meltdown head on and driving out to Napa for a brief country escape and  a little time with Nick’s family.  Sunshine here we come!