Tag Archives: berkeley

Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet 2017

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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 6 years and younger. And although I signed them both up, only my older son wanted to participate and he just wanted to run!

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When we arrived, we didn’t know what to expect, but it was nice to join the other teams doing a “parade” before the competition started. Even though the kids compete individually, we were fortunate to find a great group that is very supportive of each other and they have lots of fun.

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As if I needed to add any more “crazy” to our life, once we saw the lineup of events and figured that Raef’s 50M wouldn’t run until around or after lunch time, I decided we should take a break from the meet and head to his swim lesson that wasn’t too far, and the other Moms kept me posted on what events were being run while we were gone. At any rate, when Raef’s swim class was ending, I got word that his would be coming up soon and so we literally sprinted (safely) back to the stadium, where I doubled parked to get him checked in for his race..before finding real parking and making it back inside to see my first-born take to the track. *Side note – not doing that “supermom” stuff again, I was stressed trying to get him to his race and we cut it close…by the time I sat down, I had done a race of my own! lol!

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When it came time to lineup, organizers placed the kids in order and had them join hands to walk to the starting line. I think we were more nervous than our son! We had tried to give him advice about listening for the starting gun, and just running his best race, no need to look around, but just focus!

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As it turns out, he did AMAZING!! He took off as soon as the gun went off… However, he did take a small tumble…and in that moment, I thought he was going to get up and have a meltdown, but my son picked himself right up, recovered and ran extremely fast to the finish line to complete his very first race! So, no, he did not win, but he mad me and his Dad the proudest parents in the stadium. He took it all in stride and can’t wait for his next opportunity to race. Watch his heat below…

It would have been wonderful if he placed, but we think he had an even more valuable lesson, which is to keep going and finish…NO MATTER WHAT! And, now that he knows how it all works and what to expect, he has a much better perspective moving forward.

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All in all, it was a very successful outing and with his Dad and one of his favorite track teammates giving him the congrats for a job well done, we left with lots of smiles!

Steam Train at Tilden Park

 

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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 website aka Redwood Valley Railway.

The single ride tickets were just $3 each, so it wasn’t going to break the bank and it’s super safe, even for the little ones, so that made it more enjoyable for me. The ride was about 15 minutes through the tall trees of the park, there were some fun turns and a couple passes through the tunnel too which were perfect because Isaiah was wearing his glow in the dark shirt, so he got a kick out of seeing it “light up” when it got dark in the tunnel.

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Anyhow, we must’ve timed it just right because after out steam train ride, we walked down to where they had the Golden Gate Miniature Railroad and we hopped on one of the last trips of the day! This was a no cost ride, but they happily accept donations. I believe it is run by retired train enthusiasts who are all too happy to share their hobby with the public.

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Since our two train rides didn’t take up much time, we decided to venture over to the Merry-Go-Round. This is not something you can walk to, it’s a little more than a mile away from where the trains are…so we got back in the car and made our way over. It’s an old-school antique carousel with beautiful, carved wooden animals for the kids (and adults) to ride. They also have a snack bar there and seating where you can sit back and relax. Rides on the carousel are $2 a pop.

All in all, I’m so glad we made it an afternoon adventure at Tilden Park. We had a great time and it was the perfect place, activities and day to burn off some Sunday Funday energy.

Tilden Little Farm

A photo posted by Aubrey Aquino (@fifty3weeks) on

Summer is here and now that my boys are on the verge of turning 3 and 4, they are mobile and have excessive amounts of energy, so getting out and about is a must! So, I’ll be posting about our different outings around the Bay Area and beyond, wherever our Summer 16 adventures take us!

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First up is Little Farm at Tilden Park in Berkeley. I had heard about this spot in the Berkeley Hills where you could feed some of the farm animals and explore, and it’s just a short car ride from where we live, so we headed up to the farm on a Friday morning. I packed a lunch and some snacks, I wasn’t sure how much time we would need.

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The farm is short walk up from a public parking area (no charge to park), and there are lots of shaded areas and picnic tables if you want to plan for a picnic. There is also a small playground adjacent to  the parking lot.

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I also brought celery so the boys could feed the animals. **Note – at Little Farm they ONLY allow you to feed the animals celery or lettuce.** I wasn’t sure how much to bring and I wish I had packed more, because our (animal) food stash went quick. I had only brought a handful of celery sticks…turns out between my two, we could’ve used a few celery stalks and a whole head of lettuce!

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My boys really enjoyed holding out the celery to cows, goats and even the sheep! I loved that the farm is set up to be at their level. There weren’t any height issues while trying to see the animals or reach out to give them food.

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There’s also a butterfly area, small creek and kid’s garden for children to explore too. There are clean bathrooms and hand washing stations and the atmosphere is very comfortable.

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All in all we walked the property, explored and lingered to check out the scenery, ate lunch and played in the playground within a 2 hour time period. It’s just enough to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, but not tire them out too much…and there’s no cost! We will be back again!