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We jump started our summer with a trip to Chicago after school let out. And, what I love about the Windy City is that there’s so much to do and see for all ages, and one place I always make it a point to visit is Millenium Park! Turns out there’s a new addition adjacent to the park since our previous visit to Chi City and that’s Maggie Daley Park. It’s near the Lake Michigan Shoreline and is filled with awesome play structures for climbing, sliding, jumping, running, etc… It’s pretty massive and there...

Last weekend my 4-year old son competed in his very first-ever track meet. A few months ago, I heard about a local youth track team (Don Grant Alameda Point Track Club), where we live, and after one practice,  both my boys decided they wanted to be part of it. So, when it came time to register for the 2017 Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet, which would be held at Edwards Stadium at U.C. Berkeley, we signed up! Being as my boys are still young, there were just a couple events they could register for. The Long Jump and a 5oM for kids ages...

It was definitely NOT a sunny gorgeous day, but it looked like the rain clouds were going to stay away and I had been wanting to take the kids out for a hike in San Francisco. Specifically I wanted to check out Lands End and the Sutro Baths. I was very excited to be making the trek with my boys, because despite being a Bay Area native, I had never been…AND I’ve always wanted to see these historic sites first hand. All in all, Land’s End Trail is about a 3.5 mile loop, it’s a very popular (tourist) destination...

The boys and I kicked off the summer break with a trip to the Kidz Bop “Best Time Ever” tour at the Concord Pavilion. I tried to keep it a secret, btu finaly let them know day of..and since they are still on the younger side, they had no idea what a nighttime concert experience would be like… We arrived at the venue about an hour early and I loved that there was no parking charge at the Concord Pavilion. Immediately we saw plenty of other kids and families lining up to get in and the process moved really quickly. A...

Boys love trucks and my two are especially fond of fire trucks, so when we had the chance to visit a close family friend at his fire station, we jumped at the opportunity. We stopped at Fire Station 4 for the Oakland Fire Department on Memorial Day, and the boys got their very own tour of the station from top to bottom. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest station for OFD…the building dates back to 1909! On our tour we got to look around the firefighters sleeping quarters, checked out their kitchen and even toured their gym...

Since the countdown is on until my boys turn 4 and 5, I’m slowly getting into party planning mode and putting my planning hat on. I’m trying to kick back more this year and not really hyper-plan every detail. So, for now I’m reflecting on what we’ve done for past celebrations, and what they may want this time around, since it inevitably changes as they get older and become more outspoken.  Well, last year on Raef’s actual birthday we did a small cake at home and the one thing he had been asking for was...

  On a Sunday afternoon whim, I decided to venture out with my boys the short distance from where we live to Tilden Park. Isaiah had been asking me for the past several weeks to go on a train ride, and while he would’ve settled for a BART outing, I wanted something a little more fit for my little man! I had heard about the steam train rides through the park, we had visited the adjacent Little Farm last year, and on this day, we finally made the trek out to Tilden. And, before you go, always be sure to check the steam train...

My boy’s’ birthday’s are in T-2 months and it’s time to get the ball rolling on the party planning…or at least having a “plan.” I am definitely a “planner,” especially when it comes to things I can control, like the birthday festivities and knowing what we want to do makes it much easier on me, because as we all know…time flies and these yearly milestones happen so fast! When it comes to a venue, you’ll probably need to reserve your space with much notice…most of...

The kids and I trekked to Knott’s Barry Farm recently. We were in Orange County to visit some friends and while I wanted to take them to an amusement park, I didn’t want to take them to that park this time around. One reason, is it would be just me with the two boys and I preferred a lower key option. Second, I have fond memories of Knott’s Berry Farm from my own childhood. We would frequent this park during our family trips to LA since I had cousins who worked there! We went on a Sunday, and while there was a good...

This Spring our family has ventured into the wonderful world of T-Ball! Yup, this is just the beginning. We’re giving up our weekend and devoting it to practices and games, and so far, so good. One of the advantages of having two kids who are a mere 53 weeks apart, is that when it comes to youth sports, they can be on the same team. I don’t know if it will always be that way, or work out (to my advantage) that way, but for now they are on the same T-Ball team, so I’m not being pulled between two locations, times, games,...