CityMama™

Paella on the grill

 
My sister and I have been in the middle of a "never grill the same thing twice" summer. Last weekend, it was paella chock full of chorizo, clams, and shrimp over saffron-scented rice.

And it was so good.

To the mothers who work

To the mothers who work,

The ones who know that staying home with kids is work, too, but who choose who work outside the home because they need to (and, maybe, wish they didn't) or they like to (and, maybe, wish they didn't).

The ones who would like to slow down. Just a little.

The ones who've taught their kids to do their own pony tails in the morning so they can have five extra minutes to shower (because they know it takes exactly five minutes to shower, dry off, lotion up, put on deodorant, and get dressed—if they don't have to wash their hair).

The ones who schedule meetings and phonecalls right after school drop-off and hope they can make it in and out of school without having to chat anyone up.

The ones who would like to chat someone up at school drop-off sometimes.

The ones whose third babysitter quit yesterday.

The ones who take their kids to a daycare center and they wonder if their baby is getting enough hugs.

The ones whose entire paycheck pays for the nanny.

Camp Galileo Rocks!

I'm not one of those parents who starts signing up for summer camps in January. I also wasn't one of those parents who stressed out about finding the right preschool or nanny for my kids. I'm pretty relaxed about those matters and believe that things will fall into place as necessary. As a result, we've had great camp and preschool experiences and I've never been stuck scrambling for spots for my kids.

One of the most talked-about camps in my area (the San Francisco Bay Area) is Camp Galileo. They are known for their emphasis on science and for running their camps like week-long schools. Activities are programmed around a theme and you receive feedback about your child at the end of every day, almost like a mini-report card. Counselors who didn't really know my girls gushed about their friendliness and helpfulness.

Most parents would view this as a positive, but at times, it seemed like overkill, especially having to show my ID upon checking my child out everyday. Perhaps this was only an inconvenience to me (albeit a slight one) because I also had to juggle a wiggly baby in one arm while digging in my purse for my wallet. If you are concerned about safety, however, this is no small thing. I've heard plenty of horror stories about teen camp counselors not being the most "aware" when it comes to kids and I felt my kids were safe at all times.

 
Counselors at Camp Galileo seemed to be college-aged and many had been counselors for years. I really appreciated that stability and the fact that older means (a little) wiser) When Wallie forgot her lunch in the car (I didn't realize it until I picked her up), they took care of it and she was given a sandwich and fruit.

The girls (ages almost 7 and 9) loved their Camp Galileo experience. Wallie is artistic and loved being able to spend days "creating" even though she was also learning about ancient civilizations. Bunny is athletic and the fact that there were lots of opportunities for movement (including water play on a hot day) appealed to her.

What I liked best about their camp experience, though, was that having just moved from one city to another, it was an opportunity for them to make new friends. Thankfully there is a Camp Galileo program in our new town. Counselors made efforts to connect the girls with kids from their new community and that has helped to ease their transition tremendously. Instead of heading into this new school year full of anxiety, they are excited to see their new friends again.

Back to my original point about not scrambling for camps, surprisingly, at least in our Camp Galileo program, there seemed to be plenty of spots available. My gals were able to attend camp for free (see disclosure below), but even if they hadn't, when I registered my girls there were plenty of spots available in the week we wanted, and counselors were great about letting parents know that spots were available in the coming weeks. (See? Don't stress! It always works out.) If you've been hesitant to sign up for Camp Galileo because you thought you couldn't get in, check their website. There may even be spots left for the last weeks of August before school starts. Camps also have before and after care--perfect for working parents.

Over all, our experience with the camp was positive. The girls had a wonderful time and have been bugging me weekly to go back. Isn't that the best recommendation of all?

Disclosure: Camp Galileo offered my girls free camp attendance in exchange for my thoughts about their camp experience. Camp is a personal experience—all opinions expressed here are my own.

 

On boy hair

I've discovered that men have stong opinions about what their son's hair looks like.

With the girls, it's apparently okay if their long curls look as if they've just spent a day on the North Shore riding the waves. The first month or so that Dash was born, I think all the teachers at Bunny and Wallie's school new that Papa was in charge of the morning routine. When I saw their hair "styles" at the end of the day? I was almost embarrassed enough to wake up every morning and comb it myself.

Almost. Priorities, after all.

With the boy? Things are different. We took him to get "lined up" when he was 4-months-old. I wouldn't have thought of it, but Papa didn't like the scruff around the ears. Or the scraggly baby mullet forming at the neckline. Dash does have lots of hair for a little dude, and okay, I admit, it was starting to look a little messy. I never thought I'd be one of those moms with a son with a buzz cut (I even wrote about it), but now? I kinda get it. There's a fine line between fashionably messy and just plain unkempt. (Where is it?! Where is the line?!)

A mom friend told me that she takes her son in for a trim every six weeks. Six wha-? I don't even cut my own hair that often. And girls go twice a year—they get a back-to-school cut and one around Easter. Or when I finally notice that all the year-round swimming they do is taking a toll on their ends.

Six weeks.

This is all new to me.