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Introducing Your Monthly Guide to Family Finance Education
I’m really excited to introduce you to a new column this month and every month about family financial fitness. It’s something I’ve wanted since we purchased this magazine, a place to help parents and kids learn about finance. Let’s face it, money management is not taught in schools, but it sure should be. It’s one of the most important life lessons but is virtually ignored in classrooms. And it’s not something you want to learn through trial and error, because errors cost! When I was a kid, my grandfather gave me some shares of stock so I could learn about the market. I tracked it every day and read up…
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Shared Adventures Helps Disabled Enjoy Outdoor Activities
The name says it all! What Foster Andersen, founder and CEO, has cultivated over the past 30 years is many Shared Adventures for the disabled community. The non-profit organizes activities for disabled folks so they can do what they thought they couldn’t. This isn’t just activities like rock-wall climbing, sailing, kayaking, whale watching, gardening and archery. Many disabled people struggle with not feeling capable of doing some of the things that those of us who have not suffered some sort of injury, congenital or birth anomaly take for granted. “When I started Shared Adventures, I was filling a void,” said Foster. “The disabled community was so disconnected from itself. I…
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Cigs, Vapes and Now Zyn
Do you know what Zyn is? Have you heard of the “upper-decky lip pillow? If you have tween or teen children or grandchildren, hang on because you need to be in the know. Zyn is the smokeless alternative to vapes, and vapes was the less-noticeable form of smoking cigarettes. Zyn is a nicotine pouch that is placed under your lip like chewing tobacco or tobacco dip. It is less visible than vapes because there are no cartridges or battery pens, and certainly inconspicuous next to cigarettes and smoke. Zyn comes in 2 strengths: 3- and 6-milligram pouches. The nicotine ingredient is very addictive – especially for young tweens. First-time users…
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How Silence Can Speak A Thousand Words
National Day of Silence was a foreign concept to me until my freshman year in high school. National Day of Silence is a national peaceful protest where queer people and allies participate in a vow of silence to bring attention to the discrimination that queer individuals experience. I quickly learned that it is not just about silence; it is a powerful statement. The silence speaks volumes—it is a testament to the struggles, the resilience, and the solidarity of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and its allies. When I first heard of the National Day of Silence, I felt inspired and eager to make the day count for activism and awareness. I was…
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Support Families in Need by Donating Milk
For 50 years the Mothers Milk Bank of San Jose has been providing human milk to babies in need, making it the longest running milk bank in the country. Milk banking has changed over time, with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) instituting processes to make banked milk safer and more accessible. All milk is tested and pasteurized before use. On May 2, from 10am-2pm, Watsonville Community Hospital will be hosting the Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition’s annual Milk Drive in celebration of Mother’s DayThis free event will include an opportunity to make Mother’s Day related crafts, win a door prize, or other gifts. The Mother’s Milk…
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Create a Cozy Corner to Increase Peace in Your Home
What is a Cool Down Zone? Everyone needs to take a break sometimes. Creating a cool down zone in your home can be a simple and effective way to normalize big feelings and encourage emotional regulation. This space can be very small and simple; it doesn’t need to be extravagant or expensive. You also do not need to have a big home. A cool down zone can be a small corner of a room with some favorite pillows, stuffed animals and books that you already have. The idea is that there’s a spot in your home that is intentionally set up as a place that anyone can go to when…
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Assess Your Stability During Financial Literacy Month
Americans say their financial health is a top priority. Maybe a top source of anxiety, too, as three quarters of us admit to being stressed about our finances. Many of us have become financially unhealthy, or just not acquired the proper money management skills. But that can be remedied in April, which ushers in National Financial Capability Month (It’s a real thing: Congress proclaims it every year). Financial capability and financial fitness go hand in hand. Fitness means effectively managing your money to meet your short-term and long-term needs and wants. The Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA) says it involves handling your finances in a way that allows you…
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Kids Day Downtown
Sunshine, sandy beaches, and a laid-back vibe – Santa Cruz embodies the California dream. But beyond the coastal attractions, the Downtown district offers a treasure trove of experiences that make it a haven for families with kids and teens. Many of the folks who run downtown businesses, are also parents. We wanted to know what they do with their kids Downtown. My three kids love the variety that Downtown Santa Cruz has to offer for each of them. For the oldest, the outdoor adventurer, it’s usually to shop for a new wetsuit or a skateboard deck. For my middle kid, the epicurean, it’s to check out the newest restaurant or…
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Aloha Santa Cruz
As we enter springtime, the weather (finally) shifting, plans for summer emerge, and a lovely time to gear ourselves up for fun in the sun. Summer is RIGHT around the corner. (Have you registered for Jr Guards or Camp Capitola yet? ) On a recent adventure to Hawaii, for both business and pleasure – I felt so thankful to get away from the cold, wet, winter we have had and enjoy beach bliss with my family:) . It got me thinking of the ways we can embrace the Aloha vibes at home. Aloha means “love, peace, and welcome it is a main word used all over the islands of Hawaii.…
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Creating Art for Everybody to Enjoy
Public sculpture and mosaic creations inspired by nature have been the specialty of local artist Kathleen Crocetti. Her colorful murals adorn walls, sidewalks, plazas and buildings throughout Santa Cruz County. After a 30-year career teaching art in middle school, Crocetti embarked on community collaborative projects that keep her busy all year around. Q: Did you grow up wanting to make art? A: Kids tend to become what they see as possible. I was lucky because my mom is an artist and so was my grandmother. I grew up in a house full of art and artmaking, in my young mind being an artist was just something that women did, akin…
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Is Local Railroad Track Already Off Course Before It Starts?
I need you to tell me the truth about something. If the county follows through and builds a half a billion dollar train line from Watsonville to Davenport, will you take it regularly? Will you commute on it? Will you send your kids to school on it? Will you go shopping on it? Please let me know that if we reach deep into our overtaxed pockets to come up with a boatload of money it will in fact take cars off our miserably crunched roads. My own take is that I don’t believe it will take any cars off the road, or a few at best. And keep this in…
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Festivals Inspire Santa Cruz Symphony
The exciting March program begins with the Matsuri Overture. Named for the Japanese word for festival the Matsuri Overture was composed in 2017 by Spain’s José González Granero. Now based in the Bay Area, Granero has been principal clarinet for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 2010. The composer recalled that he was inspired by a trip to Kyoto, Japan, during which the Ebisu Festival at New Year’s made a powerful impression on him. During this Festival participants pay their respects and pray for success, using special branches of bamboo grass they hope will bring good luck. Granero’s Overture captures the feel and excitement of both the ancient Japanese festival…
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Birthday Battle Royale at the Children’s Museum
We’ve had a lot of the usual birthday parties for our 8-year-old son—bowling, the Boardwalk, Blue Ball Park— but nothing topped going to a local museum with Nerf guns locked and loaded to shoot your guests. Think Night at the Museum meets Terminator and you’ve made a lot of boys’ dreams come true. It sounds crazy, right? But the Children’s Museum of Discovery in the Capitola Mall has stretched the boundaries of what a museum can be and has come up with a party like none other. For two hours, kids get to run amok with Nerf blasters. They can bring their own guns or the museum supplies them. It…
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Tips for the Teen Years
It wasn’t that long ago that I was riding the wild, twisty rollercoaster called Raising Teens. I remember countless tense discussions with my son in particular, who often felt the rules and schedules at home and school didn’t apply to him. It was stressful and exhausting to stay calm and find a balance between setting age-appropriate limits and fostering independence. I’ll admit I wasn’t always successful, but we made it through the turbulent teen years and now enjoy seeing the independent, responsible, and insightful young adult he’s become. In fact, we’re celebrating him getting his first full-time job in the field that he studied. I’m beaming with pride (and relief)…and…
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Prepare Your Kids for Careers in an AI-Driven Future-World
Many parents today never experienced a world where computers weren’t a standard household fixture, let alone a world without the Internet. When the World Wide Web first became available to the public in 1991, it was archaic compared to today. Yet at the time, it was quite the phenomenon. But the rapid speed of technological progress over the past couple of decades will resemble the crawl of a tortoise in another decade or two as technology continues to advance at an exponential rate. In fact, according to Ray Kurzweil, a world-renowned inventor, thinker, and futurist, “We won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century – it will be…
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Postpartum Doulas Help New Families
Sometimes there’s one miraculous moment of postpartum doula care that seems like a turning point in a new parent’s confidence. But more often it’s a series of small, almost imperceptible moments that together lighten the load; allowing everyone to take a breath, get their perspective back and continue learning how to be in tune with their new baby. Postpartum doulas are available to new families for a few hours, days, or weeks. Experienced with feeding support, they can offer encouragement through helpful tips and techniques that have been successful for many other families. They keep an eye out for situations that may seem beyond normal new baby transitions. While not…
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Reaching the Heart Before Reaching the Head
When you became a parent, did you say to yourself, “I’m going to love my child only under certain conditions”? This is called Conditional Love. I’m guessing this was not your goal. I’m guessing your thoughts align with wanting your child to feel loved at all times. Through all the challenges and mistakes we make, we all want to know we are loved. “I love you no matter what.” This is called Unconditional Love. How to Love Unconditionally The theory of parenting is the easy part. How to put it into practice is the challenging part. Let’s begin with the theory, the easy part. To set the groundwork for children…
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Child’s Play
Before I had a grandchild, much of my internet searching started with a headache that quickly escalated to the most common symptoms of a brain tumor, or the discovery that one of the side effects of a new medication is death. Now that I’m a grandmother, my searches and the results are a bit more cheerful, but they can still send me down a rabbit hole. The rabbit hole is where I learned that there is a condition called Obsessive Grandmother Syndrome and a style called Coastal Grandma. And where I learned that I might have Obsessive Coastal Grandma Style Syndrome (OCGSS). And yes, my granddaughter’s big head does mean…
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Exploring California’s Wildlife Through Printmaking
Stephanie Martin is a well known painter and printmaker based in Santa Cruz. Her beautifully hand-colored etchings depict the wildlife of her native landscape. Martin’s illustrations are part of many Bay Area collections and publications, including Fruit Trees for Every Garden: A Organic Approach, by her husband, Orin Martin, manager of UCSC’s Alan Chadwick Garden. How did you discover etching? SM: I fell into etching by pure chance: it was offered in the evening! I was in my mid-40s, working as an elementary school teacher, and interested in a new challenge. I enrolled in Introduction to Drawing at Cabrillo, and the following semester found an Intaglio Printmaking (etching) class offered…
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Can You Trust College Rankings When Choosing Where to Apply?
Ever wonder how the US News and World Report select which university is the best in the nation? You would hope that the researchers would create algorhythms to consider a wide range of factors to fairly determine this elite ranking. But no. Critics in the past two decades have exposed just how ratings can be easily manipulated by the colleges themselves. In order to boost their rankings, colleges simply increase the volume of students who apply. To do this, many colleges target applicants who are unqualified students and entice them with free application fees. Stanford University, Reed College, and others have openly criticized ranking colleges based on the fact that…
