Passport renewal

[Michele]

Hi Moms,

I wanted to remind folks to get an early start on applying for passport renewals since any passports you got for your kids as babies are about to expire (5years). The Mtn view post office is scheduling appts two months out (in mid-April) now. And it takes time to process.

The renewal process for kids is the same as the new passport process: two parents present, photocopies of both parents drivers licenses (front and back), application, check, original birth certificate, copy of birth certificate, old passport to punch a hole in and return to you.

Hope everybody is doing great and I hope all is going well with your families and cute kiddos!

Did anybody else venture into the land of three kiddos? Not me. Wish I was that brave. ;)

Michele



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[Michelle Ritenour]

Thanks so much for the heads up, Michele. I was just thinking about that and should probably get that on the calendar. Btw, for both the girls I was able to walk into the MV post office w/o an appt because I showed up in the middle of a weekday. Could be worth a shot for you if you are willing to walk the 1.5 blocks 😉

Definitely no on the 3 kids. I'm not as brace as Saima!

Hope everyone is well.

Michelle

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[Michele]

I forgot to mention 'passport photos' in the list of items to bring.

Will definitely try the 'drop-in' though it's tricky to have both parents there....

On a different note-- the moms in my neighborhood moms group are all buzzing about summer camps? I, um, don't quite get it.... are they just looking for activities? Looking for childcare? Some are half day camps... maybe the kids go with the nanny...

And while we are chatting- I am about to lose it over screen time. Any survival tactics? Im ok with science shows or somewhat educational shows like little Einstein... (get on board... get ready to explore...there's so much to find... ) catchy tune... but the YouTube videos of kids opening toys or toys talking drive me batty. And the longer he watches the less impulse control he seems to have. But it's so nice to have time while he is distracted. Maybe that answers my summer camps question... camps are to 'occupy the kids'...

Ok- thanks, Moms.

I attached a pic of the munchkins. Miss you all.

Thank you!
Michele

[Kate Morey]

Hello everyone,  

Michele, thanks for getting a little dialogue going and thanks for the reminder on passport.  We just made an appointment for Nora, with your heads up can add Hadley and do the renewal.  I heard Costco has a good set up for the passport photos.  I found the soonest appointment times, after calling everywhere in the area, at the post office on Stanford campus.  

No idea about summer camps.  Hadley did redwood grove and gold star gymnastics last summer and really enjoyed both.

I agree that more shows cause less impulse control.  It is a conundrum, such a good distraction.  We have not discovered the you tube scene, sounds like that is a good thing.  I just try to stay consistent.  Hadley gets two shows in the am and we have Friday night movie night.  The morning shows will have to change in the fall when Kindergarten starts.  Now we are preschool three days a week starting at 9am.  Next year she will go to Bubb and that is 5 days and starts before 8, yikes.  

Where are all the kiddos going next year?  

We have a over scheduled feb and March with work and trying to enjoy as much of this great snow as possible.  I'll send out some dates for an April play date.  Maybe meet at my place or at a park.  Would love a little visit with everyone. Happy half birthdays.

Kate

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[Michele]

Thx for the tip about Stanford post office, kate. Good to know. 

And March Play date sounds perfect!
It will be fun to see everybody  and how far we are from our maternity days. 

We implemented a new system for screen time. Any awful behavior related to not being able to stop screen time when we agreed in advance to stop warrants a rest day. Alex asked for '20 hugs' when he realized I wasn't budging on this one. Then he transformed back into the happy, curious book-reading 4-yr old that he's supposed to be. 

We used to let Alex earn 'gold stars' for good behavior but stopped keeping track. Now we have renewed the gifting of gold stars and he can exchange them for screen time. Two nights in a row, Alex has initiated and executed toy clean-up!  It's luxurious. 

Then I saw a parenting topic about how to parent without using rewards, punishments...  haha.  Can't win. 

Michele

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[Julie Wann]

Hi ladies,

Hope everyone's staying warm and dry. Thanks, Michele, for the passport reminder. 

The screen time dilemma only gets worse the older they get.  And the impulse control doesn't improve.  At least not with my boys.

If you want to try limiting the kids' screen time, you can consider the kid's version of the Amazon tablet which costs $80.  It comes with a free one-year subscription to Freetime, which automatically limits time on the tablet to one hour a day.  As soon as your little one is logged into his/her profile in Freetime, the clock starts ticking.  The tablet is encased in a thick foam border, and I believe there's a no question asked replacement policy for a year.  Eli used to throw down the tablet (then pick it up and throw it down again and again) and have a screaming, crying fit when his hour was up.  Freetime doesn't care what you're doing, Eli may be in the middle of a game, and it just logs him off.  But I just ignored him and let him take it out on the tablet since I could get a free replacement.  Even if there was some fine print that didn't allow a replacement, it costs $40 for a new one.  After a dozen times or so of those horrible episodes, he has now learned to accept and move on.  Now he will ask for his one hour (because that's the max time allowed), and he volunteers that he won't throw the tablet and he won't cry when his time is up.  Pavlov.  It's all about reconditioning.

If your kids like books, try checking your library for books with audio CDs that "read" the books. I used to borrow these and use them as entertainment for my kids on car trips. Maybe they can self entertain with these.  Only if you're old school and still have a CD player like me!

And anyone else like workbooks?  Thank goodness for Eli's preschool, which has conditioned him to sit still and do worksheets.

Julie

On Feb 4, 2017, at 12:54 PM, Kate Morey <katemo...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Michele]

I was quite curious what Julie's solution to screen time was. Thank you for sharing.  

Alex had been trained to like worksheets also.  But I may have let that lapse. May have to re-train!

There is so much kid stuff in my house now... I just want to move and leave it all behind. And I have to ask permission to throw every little thing away... a googly eye, a paper airplane, a scrunched up scribbled piece of paper. Painful.  Do you have a solution for that, Julie?

-Michele

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[Michelle Ritenour]

Hi Moms,

I would love to do a March play date. Am happy to venture down to the old 'hood if it means I get to see you all! 

About camps, I just saw there is a Tutu School opening in MV soon. I just went to a bday party at one up here and it was the most adorable thing: frilly, pink, and princess-y. It's great for the little ones who are into all of that. Ava ended up wanting to do a class there. I did read that they do some weekly summer camps so just throwing that out there. 

Thanks for the tips about screen time. It's a lost cause in our household- particularly with all the rainy afternoons. Oh well...

Michelle

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[Saima B. Yusuf]

Hi Moms!

I'd love a March playdate as well.  They only day I can't really do is Sunday because of the kid's classes but any other day is more open.  Also, would anyone be interested in planning another MNO for March or April? 

Kate, for kindergarten, we're going to lottery for the Christa McAulliff school in Cupertino.  Fingers crossed Maryam gets a spot. I can't believe they are all starting kindergarten soon.For summer camps, Ventana is running an online auction for all the local summer camps where you might be able to find a good deal. I'm copying the info below.  I've heard good things about Red Grove from other moms and the other popular one seems to be Camp Galileo. I was thinking of trying one of these. Camp Athena geared towards girls also sounds interesting but I haven't looked into it yet.

Screen time is also challenging for us, we try to limit to 1 hour on most days after school.  It sometimes rolls into 1.5 hours if the baby is fussy or I need to get him down for a nap.  Right now the girls are really into Paw Patrol.  For everyone with girls, I was wondering what shampoo you use? Maryam's hair is fine and tangles super easily.  I use the Original Sprout conditioner that's for babies and up and it's pretty good.  I tried local drugstore kid shampoos like Suave kids but haven't had much luck with them.

Looking forward to hopefully seeing everyone again soon.

Saima

Summer camp auction info:

It's only February, but it's time to start planning summer camps and classes for your kids!  The Ventana Summer Camp Online Auction is a great place to get deals on camps and classes while supporting our school. Bidding starts on Monday, February 6 at 8AM and ends on February 13 at 10PM. This auction is open to the general public. Please help spread the word with your friends and family. Go to www.charityauction.bid/ ventanacamp to start bidding.

The auction is only open for a week, so get bidding!

Email auc...@ventanaschool.org for any questions.

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From: Michelle Ritenour <mcwo...@hotmail.com>
To: "eatsle...@googlegroups.com" <eatsle...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 8, 2017 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Mom's Group] Passport renewal

[Jessica Janis]

Hi everyone,

Great to hear from you all and love all the helpful ideas shared! Would love to do a playdate and an MNO.  For playdates, open to weekends or afternoons after 2 pm. Darcy is in a program now that goes every day until 2. The long day has been a struggle at times--but at least I know that next year it will be old hat. These days she watches 2 shows (~1 hour) when she gets home--because she is so tired and just needs to decompress. It seems to help. iPad is not a regular thing, but an occasional treat. I know screen time can be tricky--so I'll have to keep some of these tips in mind. We did give her my old iPhone to take pictures with. She would also watch the Trolls trailer over and over. That went on for a week or so, then she forgot about it. Out of site, out of mind, I guess. She is obsessed with Trolls though. We ended up buying the movie and the soundtrack and she loves dancing to all the songs! 

As far as school goes next year--still not sure--but it will likely be either staying at St. Nicholas or going to our local public school, Montclaire. For camps, we did Redwood Grove last year, which was fine--but I worried about the bathroom situation a bit. She also did one camp at Tiny Tots which was great. I think some people (like me) do camps to fill up any school gaps when they need childcare. I'm putting her in a gym camp at Twisters in a couple weeks during winter break. Will let you know how that is. 

Can't believe the kids are getting so big!

Look forward to seeing everyone.

Jessie

[Julie Wann]

Michele,

Wanting to keep everything is a tough one.  My oldest was like that.  My husband waited until he'd gone to bed then recycled and tossed.  I couldn't be so tough, so instead, whenever my boys asked for new toys, which they always do, I tell them that there's no room so we have to sell/donate/recycle some old stuff before they can get anything new.  You have to stand firm and be tough for this to work.  And when they started to understand the concept of money, I told them that whatever money they make by selling their old toys can be used to buy new toys or whatever they wanted.  I also tell them that whatever they don't clean up and put away will be recycled and tossed.  My boys tend to be messy and have toys lying around everywhere, so it's a perfect excuse for things to disappear.  Hope this gives you some inspiration on how to handle Alex!

Julie

On Feb 6, 2017, at 8:59 PM, Michele <miche...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Julie Wann]

Wow, Saima, that's a long haul for you if Maryam goes to McAuliffe.  I hope she gets in!

For summer camps, my boys have gone to:

Steve and Kate's

Camp Edmo

Success Chess

Camp Galileo

Nike Tennis

Cupertino Sports Center for racket sports

Walden West (most likely too far for you guys though)

YMCA offerings

Eli will stay at his preschool all summer instead of other summer camps.

Julie

[Saima B. Yusuf]

How is Camp Galileo Julie? Is it worth it? It's easier for me to just keep both girls at their preschool camps but I thought it would be good to try something else.  The preschool camps are more convenient (can drop them off at the same place) and overall less cost.

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From: 'Julie Wann' via eatsleeppoop <eatsle...@googlegroups.com>
To: eatsle...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 8, 2017 8:01 PM

[Julie Wann]

I like Camp Galileo, and my boys have also gone to Galileo Summer Quest and at the Tech, both of which are for older kids.  In fact, they're going to Galileo at the Tech this summer for a couple of weeks.  I like the programs they offer, the daily summary sheet of the activities that the kids did that day, and personal notes that the team leader provides almost every day.  The pick up procedure is one of the better ones because they check IDs.  The Friday wrap up is great because the kids get to show off their creations and take home the stuff they made.  My oldest still has the guitar that he make from cardboard (this one I didn't recycle!).  I do recommend it.

However, your children will have years and years to come of summer camps, and I feel there's no need to start this early.  Which is why I'm not signing up Eli for any camps this summer, and he's staying at his preschool.  Preschool is cheaper and more convenient.  Believe me, the whole summer camp sign-up only gets to be a bigger headache the older they get because they'll have opinions, want to go only if their friends also go, and on and on.  I suggest keeping it simple for as long as possible.

Julie

[Jessica Janis]

I need to find something for Darcy to do this summer. I'm not necessarily inclined to keep her at her current school, because they're just doing summer school for the first time, I think, and I don't have a lot of confidence it will be wholly successful. I'm very interested in doing Camp Galileo in Los Altos. Anyone else considering it? 

thanks,

Jessica

[Saima B. Yusuf]

I was going to do redgrove and Galileo Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

At Feb 24, 2017, 9:43:11 AM, 'Jessica Janis' via eatsleeppoop<'eatsle...@googlegroups.com'> wrote:

I need to find something for Darcy to do this summer. I'm not necessarily inclined to keep her at her current school, because they're just doing summer school for the first time, I think, and I don't have a lot of confidence it will be wholly successful. I'm very interested in doing Camp Galileo in Los Altos. Anyone else considering it? thanks, Jessica

[Kate Morey]

I will check out camp Galileo.  Hadley enjoyed redwood grove last year.  As of now we are signed up for one week at hidden villa camp and that is it.  I just saw that Bubb school starts August 14th, that feels like the middle of summer.  Poor kiddos.

Does anyone have their children in dance class?  Hadley wants to take hip hop and I signed her up through the rec center but it's a little unsatisfing.  They just run around with music on in the background.  

I'll look at the calendar for a play date!

Kate

[Michelle Ritenour]

Am I the only one who is in shock that our kids are old enough that we are looking for camps???? 😢

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[Jessica Janis]

Darcy's been taking Dance at Marti's since about August. We really like it. Not sure if they offer hip hop. Also, it runs on a school session, so it may be too late to join for now-but you could call and check.

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