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Argh Mate
Kids who visit the Davenport Roadhouse in North County are in for a special treat. If they find the pirate doll hidden in the restaurant they get a free cookie from the excellent bakery there. Parents also get a very good meal, but that’s not free. However, there is all kinds of live local music most every day and night there and that is a free treat. The Davenport Roadhouse is at 1 Davenport Ave., 95017.
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Reason to Remember
Reason to Remember By Cheyenne Donald All gave some, some gave all Hey. Let’s have a little chat. Memorial Day is about to be here, and before you mark this as just a 3 day weekend, or the beginning of summer, road closures, parades and BBQs, let’s have some real talk. This is not just another 4th Monday in May. This is THE day we have set aside for Memorial, to talk story and connection, of those who gave everything for a future they didn’t get to be in. We do this every year. We come together and create a space for memory. We stand proud. We use…
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I Love Mom
Mama and Baby Seal Submit your coloring page for a chance to be in our paper Editor@growingupsc.com More Coloring Pages
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May Coloring Winners
Emilia | Age 6 Hayden Joseph | Age 8 Leo Age | 4.5 Luna | Age 10 Olive | Age 6 Vivek | 3.5 Find More Coloring Pages
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Tired Mom Puzzle
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Encaustic Paintings
Encaustic Paintings by Terry Dowell I have been swept away by the challenges and immense rewards of educating and inspiring people that somehow find their way to me. The thrill of offering an opportunity to enliven the creative spirit in the lives of my students is a lifetime dream. My intent is simple…paint for myself, teach workshops and, of course, show my art to the public and allow my art to flow out into the world. I have been painting and creating all my life…over 50 years now. I invented myself as an artist by way of workshops and courses throughout the United States. Largely self-taught in a variety of…
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Do REALTORS Even Matter
Do REALTORS Even Matter? By Seb Frey In a real estate market as hot as this, where homes appear to “sell themselves,” it’s a fair question: do REALTORS even matter? I’m going to give you an answer that may surprise you…considering that I myself am a REALTOR, and have been for 19 years. In fact, I was even President of the Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS in 2019 so I consider myself something of an authority on the subject. I won’t bury the lede here. I’m going to come right out and say it: no, REALTORS do not matter…if you don’t believe they matter. When it comes to answering…
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Cirque.Tumble.Cheer
Capitola Mall is Flying High with Cirque.Tumble.Cheer By Jeanette Prather Once upon a time in the former Wrigley bubble gum factory on the Westside, four women came together over their love of aerial and movement arts. They assembled a collective of aerialists and dancers who would each contribute to a stipend that they would pay their landlord as he developed what is now the University Business Park. This collective offered classes and training time, then came to be known as the Santa Cruz Aerial Playground. “They scrimped, scavenged and labored almost endlessly to install rigging points, padded floor coverings, a wooden sprung dance floor, lighting, seating, crash mats,” said former…
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College Rejections Up This Year: Here’s Why
College Rejections Up This Year: Here’s Why By Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy So, chin up! Those colleges will miss out on what you could have brought to their campuses this fall. Watch out world – here you come! This year, the most competitive colleges rejected record numbers of applicants than in recorded history. That means that colleges like Harvard that had admit rates of around 5% last year have dropped to 3.19%. We’ll get more data when other selective colleges release their admissions statistics for this year. So, what caused this uptick in applications this year? Over 1,300 colleges offered test-optional admissions due to COVID and difficulty finding testing sites during the pandemic.…
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Sierra Ryan
Sierra Ryan: Saving Water for Our Children’s Future Suki Wessling ’m lucky that I feel like some of the work that I do is really for her, so sometimes when I feel like, ‘Oh, I’m working again,’ [I tell myself] I’m doing it for Faye and for her future here. “You need a bit of a reminder on the rough days,” admits Sierra Ryan, Water Resources Manager for the County and mom to 3-year-old Faye, about being a full-time working mom. “Like, why are you doing this? How does this fit into your life?”Like many working moms, Sierra has to balance her commitment to her career with her commitment to…
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Staycation
by Kimberly Hickok As summer peeks around the corner and pandemic restrictions begin lifting, the urge to get out of the house and go do something fun is stronger than ever. Fortunately for Santa Cruz area residents, there’s no need to travel far for enjoyable, exciting activities with little and big kids alike. Here are 17 of our favorite Santa Cruz area “staycation” ideas: Ride roller coasters and play games The historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosts a plethora of fun rides for kids of all ages – from a kiddie train to the classic Giant Dipper roller coaster. After enjoying the rides, check out the large arcade, pirate-themed miniature…
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Not Fitting In
Allison Paradise on Not Fitting In By Jeanette Prather “What do I do for a living?” repeated Allison Paradise, Founder and CEO of The Epicenter in Santa Cruz, in response to the question. “That’s such a funny question. I live.” The Epicenter empowers students ages seven through 22 through mindfulness and a reconnection with their authentic selves and limitless potential, according to Paradise. “This is transformative; it can lead to feelings of liberation, awe, clarity, focus, strength, confidence, purpose, joy, and deep gratitude,” said Paradise.How does this happen? “Through intentional design, The Epicenter creates an open space (both physical and virtual) that gives students permission, and the courage, to be…
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Heads Up?
Pandemic Parenting By Laura Maxson Babies, overwhelmingly, go head-down by their due date. Close to 75% are head-down (vertex) by 28 weeks. While some babies linger for a few more anxiety-filled weeks, only 3-4% refuse to turn head-down by 37 weeks. No one plans to have a breech (head-up) baby at term, but everyone should consider the possibility – just in case. There are several reasons a baby might not go head-down on schedule. The uterus might have an unusual shape, a large fibroid or scar tissue, or there might be a very short umbilical cord, unusual placental position, or an abnormal amount of amniotic fluid. Occasionally, a baby might…
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Legoland
The Surprising Things About Legoland By Brad Kava I was so happy that a 6-year-old could appreciate an exhibit I would have figured would be more interesting to grown-ups. It wasn’t just amazing that they did this with Lego, but that they did it so remarkably authentic. It felt like being there. I took my 6-year-old son, Parker, to his first trip to Legoland last month and it was a blast, but not for the reasons you might expect. Yes, he loves Lego. He’s been doing one or two a week since he was 3. At 6 he does the ones way above his age group and our house already…
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Your Mental Health
Moms: Your Mental Health Matters! By Nicole M. Young, MSW May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s also the time of year when we celebrate our mothers, grandmas, aunties, and other mother figures. As a mother of two (adult) children, I know how fulfilling, demanding, challenging, stressful, and beautiful parenting is. I also know that many mothers feel they need to have all the answers, be ready to handle anything at a moment’s notice, balance multiple demands and schedules, work, find time for their partner AND raise happy, resilient kids — often intuitively or without any additional support. But trying to be everything to everyone at the expense of…
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Editors Note May 2022
Editor’s Note By Brad Kava Like so many other readers, we found a camp for our 5-year-old son, Parker, from an article in Growing Up in Santa Cruz. It was a story about an intriguing camp, Thomas Farm Films, which hires movie directors to teach kids how to make films and then makes them on an Aptos organic farm. I was afraid it might be too much for such a young kid. We’d already had a bad experience with a highly recommended preschool, but he hated it. It’s so hard to know what a kid will like. But Parker loved the film camp so much that even though we’d signed…
