It’s been very summer over here with the boys. Living in northern California means that most of the year is pretty great for outdoor adventures, but we still technically have seasons, and with summer break it does seem like there are a lot more events this time of year. Plus, it is a bit more […]
Archive for the ‘family’ Category
Cars, baseball, and the rest of Father’s Day weekend
June 27th, 2023 by pleia2
At two and four, both of the boys are finally at ages where they can really enjoy family outings for what they are, so it was really fun to go into Father’s Day weekend recently with a bunch of family plans. The first event of the weekend was the Castro Valley Car Show. We go […]
Adventures with my little ones
June 16th, 2023 by pleia2
We’re fortunate to have in-house childcare during my work hours, so when MJ went away on a work trip last week I wasn’t left completely alone at home with the kids for four days. But solo parenting is still tricky when you have built everything up around having two parents participating in the childcare formula. […]
A rodeo, 4 pounds of cherries, and “antiques”
June 13th, 2023 by pleia2
I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite things about living here downtown in Castro Valley is getting to enjoy the smattering of annual events that take place just a couple blocks from our doorstep. It’s no San Francisco, but they’re charming events that connect us with the area in a way that I thought […]
Childcare, anniversary, trucks, and antiques
May 20th, 2023 by pleia2
We participate in the Au Pair program. It’s an exchange program overseen by the State Department that matches families who have childcare needs with young people who are looking to spend a year in another country and take some classes abroad. We started with it when Adam was just a few months old and have […]
Passover, Tidbyt & TrainTrackr, and gardening
May 1st, 2023 by pleia2
When our flight from Philadelphia landed in San Francisco a few weeks ago, it was cool and very dark. We don’t usually take such late flights, but the timing and cost worked out that way this time. It had been a bit of a rough flight due to the boys missing naps too, but at […]
Crafts, goats, and the rest of our March visit to Philly
April 20th, 2023 by pleia2
I had a delightful time at the typewriter shop while we were in Philly, but unfortunately the two subsequent weeks didn’t go as planned. We all ended up dreadfully sick, with fevers, coughs, and it got so bad that the whole family went to urgent care to rule out some of the most worrisome things […]
Friends, Purim, and libraries
March 21st, 2023 by pleia2
Pre-COVID, I’d say the majority of my social interactions came while I was traveling, and I was a bit of a hermit when I was at home. I didn’t see my local friends a whole lot, in spite of the tremendous amount of value I placed on them. Now with things opening up, but my […]
Trees, flowers, and a lake with the kiddos
February 21st, 2023 by pleia2
Losing Caligula has been hard. I keep finding cat toys tucked behind doors and under furniture. This particular grief is definitely going to take some time to resolve, it’s been years since I’ve lived without a pet, and he was so incredibly special to me. Earlier this month was the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat, […]
Wet/dry January, old/new tech
February 4th, 2023 by pleia2
It’s now the second month of 2023, and I can confirm that the arbitrary changing of the calendar year has not, in fact, made our immune systems better at fighting off every random bug that Adam brings home from preschool. At the beginning of January it was a brutal stomach bug, and we are now […]