Bring Home Awards By Brad Kava Growing Up in Santa Cruz won four big awards in a national contest sponsored by the Parenting Media Association, a trade group that reaches six million family and parent magazine readers each month in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The competition was judged by the journalism department of the University of Missouri. We took top honors for humor, with our wonderful monthly cartoon by Patty Benson. Here’s what the judges said:“This illustrated column uses multiple visual devices as a framework for funny observations that most moms will recognize from their own lives. The approach is hilariously on point as well as entertaining and original.”…
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Womens Wellness Guide
Birth Network of Santa Cruz CountySanta CruzBirthNet.orgWe provide parents and professionals with information, education, and advocacy for safe, empowering, joyful birth. Visit birthnet.org for an extensive listing of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum-related service providers. Learn about the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and become a more informed healthcare consumer. Find registration information on our Upcoming Events webpage for Meet the Doulas and other virtual events. Due to COVID19 recommendations, events such as Bellies, Birth & Babies will be delayed until in-person events are safe. Keep in touch with our local birth and parenting community with Birth Network Santa Cruz on Facebook and Instagram. Charlotte Carreira, Wellness Coaching831-688-1858Radiant-Wellness.comCandidaCleansing.netMyGutReboot.com/charlottecarreira Health is actually simple. I…
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Bakers Dozen Wellness
Christy Shults AffirmationsDo you put those sweet little notes in your kids’ lunch boxes telling them how amazing they are and that you love them? You go into their classroom, and the walls are covered in posters with positive messages. Well, you deserve those too. Take one minute every morning to write yourself a love note. It could say, “You’re doing fantastic,” or “That dinner was delicious last night!” Sometimes all you need is an “I love you.” Stick it in your phone notes, write it on a post-it, even write it on the back of that receipt floating around in your purse. Just get it out there in the…
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Turkey 21
Gobble Gobble Submit your coloring page for a chance to win tickets to Gilroy Gardens! Send to [email protected] More Coloring Pages
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Holiday Preparation
Preparing for the Holidays by Nicole M. Young, MSW I love this time of year. The cool air (and even some rain!) makes me want to stay in my pajamas all day, cook, bake, listen to music, and reflect on everything I’m thankful for. I try to make gratitude and thankfulness a daily habit, but when life gets busy and stressful (and disrupted by a pandemic), it’s easy to take things for granted or feel too overwhelmed to be grateful for “the little things.” As the holiday season begins, I want to remind myself to slow down, be present in the moment, and enjoy time with my family. Who’s with…
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Vanessa Silver Linings
Vanessa Garcia Seeks Silver Linings Suki Wessling Welcome back to our monthly feature of moms who have faced the task of pandemic parenting while also continuing their work in our community. Research has shown that women have suffered greater economic and personal fallout from the pandemic, losing jobs or having to work while also caring for children. Avid readers of Growing Up might remember Vanessa from last month’s article, “Pandemic-era Birth Stories: Unknowns, Rainbows, and Hard Choices.” About two minutes into the interview about her difficult Covid-era pregnancy, I knew I needed to feature her as our next Mom Who Makes a Difference. But this article is different because until…
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lying or pretending
Lying or Pretending? Teaching Kids to Tell the Truth By Jan Pierce Somewhere around the age of three, when children begin to understand parents may not know what they actually did or didn’t do, your precious little angel may begin to tell big whoppers. “Baby Jack made that mess,” or “I played with a dinosaur today and rode on his back.” Before you panic, thinking your child is destined for a life of crime, let’s take a look at when children lie, why they lie, and how to teach them to tell the truth. WhyChildren tell lies for a variety of reasons. They’re afraid of getting in trouble, they want…
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Practice Gratitude
By Mikayla Shults It’s November! This is a time that we start thinking about what we are thankful for, and it might be the first time in a while for some people. I certainly don’t think about gratitude on a daily basis, but I hope to change that. Something that I’ve been working on is telling people I appreciate them. You’ll see how many of the people I spoke to do the same. If that’s out of your comfort zone, I suggest expressing your gratitude for nature. Start paying attention to how the seasons change, the feelings you get at sunrise or sunset, and notice what the earth can do…
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Nutrition Check
Parent Health and Nutrition Check By Leslie Funk Why are so many Americans metabolically unhealthy? It is the food we eat. Being labeled as “overweight” or “obese” by the medical system is irrelevant. All parents want their kids to be healthy. Children learn by observation; watching what you do and how you do it. This is very important when it comes to food choices, food preparation and eating habits. Now is a great time to take an honest look at your own health and the choices you make regarding food. This is not about dieting, it is about learning to choose foods that improve your health, not harm it. Preventive…
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Circle Family Center
The Circle Family Center Helping New Families Find Help by Laura Maxson, LM Many expectant parents look longingly at a prenatal yoga listing, an independent childbirth class, or parent/child art class and sigh with the realization that it is not within their budget. The Circle Family Center is trying to turn that sigh of resignation into a positive affirmation – “yes, you can!” Newly opened, the Circle is an idea that has been incubating for some time in the minds of Nora Yerena, Elisa HavensStokes, and Kim Guiley. As parents and birth workers, the cofounders of the Circle know firsthand about the support new families need and the difficulty in…
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Holiday Toys
By brad kava Three things you need to know this holiday season right way. First, if you put off toy shopping you will be in trouble. Those container ships you keep hearing about are backed up all the way to China and Santa can’t get at ‘em. Sadly, Santa Cruz’s homegrown toy maker, Modarri, says they don’t want publicity for their hot make-your-own-cars because they won’t be available for the holidays. So be the early bird and not the worm. Second, Hanukkah starts Nov. 28 and lasts for eight days, with a gift on each. You can be sure a lot of shopping will be done by then. Third, you…
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Help for the Neediest
Help for the Neediest Acts of Hope Children’s Ministry is a small orphanage in Kampala Uganda. The children face many challenges such as not having enough food, clothing, school supplies, clean water and health issues such as HIV, Typhoid and Malaria. Currently they are experiencing flooding and the children are in need of rain boots and rain jackets but they also need everyday jackets, clothing and shoes. There are 55 children raning in age from 1 to 14. If you can donate gently used or new items, including toys and educational supplies please leave them in marked cans at 3849 Mission Drive in Santa Cruz, 95065. (Drive to the top…
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Green Wrapping
Smart Holiday Wrapping and Gift Tags by Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy Smart Wrapping Paper:Did you know that wrapping paper is a $2.6 billion dollar industry? With Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa around the corner, millions of pounds of paper will be used to wrap gifts just once and then be piled up in trash cans that line every street around the world. Wasteful! I didn’t realize how much this bothered me until I had a dream about it. When I woke up, I knew exactly what I needed to do. This was kind of like my Eco-Xmas tree dream. So here’s what I did:I drove over to Fabrics R Us (a fabric shop) in San Jose to buy…
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New Restaurant during Pandemic
How Crazy is it to Open Restaurants During Covid? By Suki Wessling What do you do if you just bought a cafe and Covid hits? If you’re a member of the Santa Cruz multi-generational Whiting family, you roll with the punches.“We took a wild guess that [outdoor eating] was going to be the near future with all the Covid stuff,” explains Dave Whiting, 61, of Santa Cruz. He’s the co-owner of The Farm Bakery and Cafe and owner of the Pixie Deli, both in Aptos. Starting when takeout was the only option restaurants had, the Farm–situated near Cabrillo College– was transformed from a bustling indoor cafe and bakery with a…
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Santa Cruz Gives Web
Coming Soon to a Website Near You: Santa Cruz Gives By Jeanne Howard At a recent meeting of 80 local nonprofit organizations, Karen Delaney, longtime Executive Director of the Volunteer Center, shared the results of a 2021 study on charitable giving trends. “National research conducted with more than 5,000 adults shows numbers we have not ever seen before,” she said. By “ever,” Delaney means not in the more than 30 years since she has been a local nonprofit leader. “People understand that where we are in our communities, where we are as a nation, requires them to do more. There is a great yearning to engage.” When study participants were…
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Nov 21 Editor Note
November Editor’s Note By brad kava I’m really afraid the Flat Earthers are winning. You look around social media and at certain websites and you see people who have no clue about science. Some of them throw out 200 years of vaccine study as fake news. Others don’t believe we went to the moon, because of fake YouTube videos. Still more deny climate change, ignoring the fact that we only have 62 miles of atmosphere and claiming that humans can’t affect that limited space. And yes, some are unabashedly saying they think the Earth is flat. Not to mention those– a much larger number than a rational person could possibly…
