Last Monday Katie started a week of Crunchy Camp – that was her nickname for the workshop she was attending at the Resource Center for Nonviolence called Exploring Your Social Justice Community. She really enjoyed herself. It turns out it wasn’t a youth workshop (that’s on me, I misread the description) so she was with… More Workshop at the Santa Cruz Resource Center for Nonviolence
Alex and Katie: Separated at Birth? Now that Katie’s home from her last great adventure (and has clearly slept more than any Koala Down Under), it’s time for her to re-engage with humanity in a constructive way. Tomorrow she starts a week of learning about social justice at a student workshop called Exploring Your Social… More What if Alex P Keaton Attended a Nonviolence Workshop in Santa Cruz?
It was so easy. All I had to do to lure them away was send them a text. And then they were mine! Much to Katie’s chagrin – she really can’t complain, she’s off storming the South Pacific with People to People – I swiped her friends and took them to a food fest at… More It’s True, I Love Stealing Other People’s Children
First day and last day of middle school. Damn. Hard to believe the time has come. Middle school graduation was last week – I can’t believe how much this kid changed in one year. Who knew eighth grade would mark such significant developments. For a kid who really had one friend in middle school, she… More Wow – Just Changed the Blog Title to “It’s High School”
If you have been living under a rock or simply been too busy working or listening to the kids squabble, you could have missed YOLO. (You can watch this Jimmy Kimmel video to help you feel better about being so out of touch). It’s the current excuse to do anything you would normally not do… More LTS is the YOLO for the Over Forty Crowd
First Day of Middle School I’m so lucky. I have a fairly uncomplicated kid. Now that middle school is finally coming to an end, I realized what we really went through in the last three years. For anyone just starting out: hang in there – what comes out on the other end is totally… More Middle School is Almost Over – We Made It Through the Wilderness
I realized the other day, I have no idea where our iPad is. It’s first generation (damned early adopters) and when we got it, we could barely put it down. It was always on the coffee table ready for game playing, email checking or Googling some weird fact or question we had about something we… More Funkafied Technology Or How the User Experience Dictates Function
Yeah, it sounds nuts. What the heck am I talking about? When I learned a long time ago that neuron connections are vital for a rich, healthy brain, it became my focus. I wanted to make sure that when I took information, I was building new connections and hopefully improving my ability to retain what… More Every Body Eats! Unleashing Katie’s Passion for Learning
Um, yeah. Katie pretending to be a fish. Don’t ask. I am a fan of Kickstarter. If you don’t know about this organization yet, you owe it to yourself to learn more. It’s a giant portal that hosts projects asking for donations from folks from all over. I have helped three projects so far and… More It’s Grassroots Baby – One Otter at a Time! Join the campaign!
There is nothing that rings more true for a single mom. I chose to be a single mom. When I wasn’t married at 34 – and there were no prospects on the horizon – I decided I would go ahead and have a kid using a sperm donor. I also knew I would be on… More Blog Action Day 2012 – The Power of We is the Key to Successful Parenting
We attended one the best events about college finance and planning last night at Santa Cruz High School. Steven Shapiro (who I met with privately) had told me I needed to go and he was right. Lynn O’Shaughnessy was amazing. While Katie started to wear out, I think I could have stayed for another two… More The College Solution: Our Fantastic Evening with Lynn O’Shaughnessy
I am a huge fan of California’s state parks. It’s like our parks are part of my DNA. My mom worked at Henry Cowell, I served on our local Friends of the Santa Cruz State Parks board. More importantly, as a resident of Santa Cruz County, I have been spoiled by the accessibility of our… More Listen2Youth Brings Silicon Valley Social Media Tips to CALPA
I just got back from the Take Back Santa Cruz walk to honor the memory of Shannon Collins. The sound of the bagpipes called us to the corner where she died and marched us through the streets of Santa Cruz to our destination: Camouflage, her store. There must have been a couple hundred people –… More Perspectives on a Memorial: Take Back Santa Cruz for Shannon Collins
Listen2Youth is pleased to support the 15th Annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards in Santa Cruz, California on May 12, 2012. The Queer Youth Leadership Awards recognizes queer youth and allies across Santa Cruz County for being leaders within their community. Being a leader encompasses many attributes and spans across all disciplines and activities. I have… More Advocating for Human Rights In Your Own Backyard
“Mom, you have to stop,” Katie tells me firmly but still calmly. Thank goodness she’s patient. “You know,” I said, “I think I am having an epiphany. I need to unlearn how to parent you. I have been doing these things since you were born and now I need to stop doing them. And that’s… More Unlearning Parenting