Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Steps to Protecting Your Family and Home from Wildfires

After the devastating CZU, Lahaina, and Palisades wildfires that ravaged thousands of acres and caused billions in damages, it’s clear that we need to be proactive in safeguarding our families, pets, and homes. With skyrocketing...

Celebrating Love with Simple Acts

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and I love that we have a holiday dedicated to showing the people we care about how much we love and cherish them! As my daughter grows and begins to...

Discovery Preschool and Family Center Celebrates 10 Years

Discovery Preschool and Family Center celebrates 10 years of operation serving over one thousand families throughout the last decade. Founder, Sara Balla, started Discovery as a home-based preschool program when her children were preschool aged...

‘Moana 2’ Shows You Should Never Give Up

I really loved the tropical setting for the new movie “Moana 2” with all the bright green palm trees and plants and also the deep blue of the ocean, which the main character, a girl...

Program Provides Reduced Tuition Rates at Colleges

By many accounts Northern Arizona University has a very credible degree program in industrial and emerging technologies. It attracts students from all across the land, and out of state residents are paying a $28,650 tuition...

Keeping Families Safe

You only have to look southward at the flames and poisonous smoke that came from Moss Landing recently to know what deregulation looks like. We have a new president promising to deregulate industry and make...

Teaching Kids to Plan and Shop with Purpose

Helping kids learn to meal plan and grocery shop isn’t just about sharing household responsibilities—it’s a valuable lesson in financial wellness. Teaching these skills early equips children with tools for a lifetime of smart money...

Disaster Preparedness for Pets

When disaster strikes, it often comes with little warning, leaving families scrambling to ensure everyone’s safety—including their pets. According to a 2021 ASPCA survey conducted after Hurricane Ida, only 46% of pet owners had a...

‘The Addams Family, A New Musical’ Takes the Stage

Hold on to your heartstrings! Love is the driving force in “The Addams Family, A New Musical,” a delightfully dark and comedic tale of two families: the straight-laced midwestern Beinekes and the graveyard-dwelling Addams, who...

Speaking Up for Safety

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to keep better track of how our tax money is being spent. I hope to make this a group effort among our readers. As a family magazine, we...

Keeping Food Local and Fun

What looks like a glorious local grocery store is actually, more and more with each passing year, a form of rebellion, a forefront in the fight to keep Santa Cruz moreSanta Cruz. Andre Beauregard, 42...

Family Game Night With a Twist

Learning about money doesn’t have to be a chore—it can actually be a lot of fun! Board games and other family-friendly activities often weave fiscal fitness and decision-making into their mechanics, offering kids a chance...

‘A Christmas Carol’ Was a Fun Experience

A couple of days ago my parents took me to see “The Christmas Carol” at the veterans hall in downtown Santa Cruz California. I sat directly in front of the stage with my mom and...

Start the New Year with a Family Keepsake

It used to be that families would have a large shoebox filled with printed photos meant for albums that never got made. Today, with cell phones capturing countless pictures and cloud storage like Google Photos...

Winter Enrichment for Pets and Kids

As we move into Santa Cruz County’s winter weather, we may find ourselves spending more time indoors with our families and pets. And when the cozy moments inevitably turn into chaos, the Santa Cruz County...

Eating to Save the Planet

In the vibrant tapestry of Santa Cruz County’s nonprofit community, Eat for the Earth stands out as an organization with a mission as bold as it is necessary: to transform the way we eat to...

Mastering the Positive Time-Out

The notion of Positive Time-Out came out of Positive Discipline. Positive Discipline is a parenting approach that promotes a relationship-based, mutually respectful, and developmentally appropriate way of meeting children’s needs for belonging and significance while...

Celebrating YOU During Positive Parenting Awareness Month

Dear parents, foster parents, grandparents, relative caregivers, and other adults raising children and teens: we’re celebrating YOU in January 2025! For the 13th year in a row the County Board of Supervisors has partnered with...

First Baby of 2025

Dominican Hospital is excited to announce that it has welcomed its first baby of the year! Dominican Hospital welcomed a healthy baby girl, Elliana Mae Azmy, Wednesday morning. She arrived at 3:01 a.m. on Jan...

How to Stop Gift-Giving for the Holidays

The holiday season is often synonymous with gift-giving, but for many, the pressure to buy the perfect present has overshadowed the true spirit of the season. If you find yourself stressed about shopping, worried about...

Community Rallies Around “The Little Mermaid JR”

Amid extreme wind, drenching rains – even a tornado touching down locally – and following months of preparations for its middle school production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid JR,” the Mount Madonna School (MMS) community...

Holiday Lights Guide

Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation introduces the Inaugural Holiday Glow Guide—a community-driven showcase of our area’s most festive and dazzling holiday displays. The Glow Guide features local homes with twinkling lights, creative decorations, and festive...