Cherry picking...

On Saturday we went with some friends to Brentwood to do some cherry picking!!  It was so much fun and the kids loved it!!   You may pick as many cherries as you would like, then you pay per pound at the end. And you may taste along the way as well, yummy!!  The kids loved running through the orchards and we all enjoyed a picnic as well.  This makes for a very fun family day trip!

Here are some helpful links:

http://www.everythingbrentwood.com/brentwoodcherrypicking.html

http://www.pickyourown.org/CAsanfran.htm

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Cherry+Picking&find_loc=Brentwood%2C+CA

STUDIO GROW...

Today, we met a friend at Studio Grow in Concord.  It is a great location for indoor play.  As the weather starts to turn more winter like, it is going to more important to find great locations like this one.  Studio Grow has one spot in Concord and another in Berkeley.  It is the perfect place for creative play and is appropriate for ages 0-6yrs.  The building is divided by play spaces focused on different themes.  The front room has lots of wooden toys including train tables and shapes and blocks as well as puzzles and things.  Behind that there is a space that is set up like a real kitchen with a dining table with chairs and play food.  There is a festive dance room with fun music, wooden floors, flashing lights and dress up clothes with lots of mirrors all around!  In the back they have a large arts and crafts room and gym room.  The gym section has slides and ride on toys and there is an instructor that leads tumbling and fun activities at scheduled times through out the day.  They even have a lunch room for you to bring your lunch and take a break from all the excitement!  It really has it all, and you can truly sit back and let your child enjoy themselves!

Pumpkin Patches- East Bay!

Contra Costa County

• Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm & Christmas Trees - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, train rides, straw or hay bale maze, child-sized haybale maze, prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours
  1060 Pine Lane, Clayton, CA 94517. Phone: 925-672-5198. Email: info@cvpumpkinfarm.com. Directions: From 24 east, take the Ygnacio Valley Road exit. Follow Ygnacio Valley road for approximately 7.5 miles and turn right onto Clayton Road. Follow Clayton Road for 4 miles. Clayton Road will turn into Marsh Creek Road. (It is best to avoid downtown Clayton and stay on the main road). Once Marsh Creek Road narrows down to a two lane road, look to the right for Pine Lane and turn right. And for a map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in October, November, December. Open: for pumpkins September 29th - October 31st, 2007. 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Open for Christmas Trees November 23rd - December 16th, 2007. 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. weekends. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard. 2008 Spring Open House dates: Saturday, April 28th and Saturday, May 10th. Join us for children's stations about bugs, plants, and worms. Fun activities include train rides, duck races, farm animals, children's crafts, scavenger hunts and more. Farm themed children's birthday parties are hosted at the farm from May through August. Appropriate for children ages 3 to 6. Activities include train rides, duck races, giant lima bean pot, farm animal lunch, TractorVille, egg hunt in the chicken coop. Call for reservations.
• Enos Family Farms - Follows organic practices, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, tractor-pulled hay rides, restrooms
  Marsh Creek Road At The Corner Of Walnut Boulevard, Brentwood, CA 94513. Phone: 925-437-9973. Alternate Phone: 925-437-9787. Email:enosfamily@enosfamilyfarms.com. Open: October: Saturday from 2 pm to 6 pm; Sunday from 9 am to 4 pm. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Pumpkin updates: Click here for updates. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Cherries: May to June, Apricots: June to July. We follow organic practices, but are not yet certified. Payment: Cash, only. (ADDED: September 20, 2010)
• Forest Home Farms - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, train rides, child-sized haybale maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, petting zoo, birthday parties, school tours
  19953 San Ramon Valley Boulevard, San Ramon, CA 94583. Phone: 9259733284. Fax: 9255561961. Email: kgiuliano@sanramon.ca.gov. Open: October 3 to October 31, 10 am to 8 pm daily. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: Forest Home Farms is located at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon, between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway. Click here for a map and directions. Visit Moore’s Pumpkin Patch at Forest Home Farms; Pick a pumpkin and enjoy some old-fashioed fun on the farm; Forest Home Farms is a 16 to acre historic site that is on the National Register of Historic Places; The site includes two historic homes, and a Tractor Museum with over 30 restored antique tractors. Payment: Cash, Check. On Saturday mornings, there is a Farmers Market at the site with lots of vendors, entertainment and a food court. (ADDED: September 23, 2009)
• McKinney Farms - A Peachy Place- peaches, apricots, nectarines, white nectarines, and plums.
  25221 Marsh Creek Rd, Brentwood, CA. Phone: 925-634-7350. U-pick and picked peaches (white, freestone, and cling), apricots (Blenheim and Katy), nectarines, white nectarines, and plums. Fruit stand also offers picked vegetables and melons in season, dried fruits, and refreshments.
• Nunn Better Farms - cherries and apples
  830 Sunset Rd, Brentwood, CA. Phone: 925-634-6173. U-pick cherries (late May), picked corn (early June), bell peppers (mid-June), and apples (late July through December). Pre-picked produce sold by the box only.
• Pick of the Patch Pumpkins - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, birthday parties, school tours
  4000 San Pablo Avenue, Hercules, CA 94547. Phone: 808-268-3158. Email: pickofthepatchpumpkins@yahoo.com. Open: 7 days a week for the month of October; Sunday - Thursday from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm. Directions: Located off Route 80 at the Route 4 exit in Hercules. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Come pick your pumpkin and let your children play on our large inflatable slides, obstacle courses and bounce houses for the month of October. (ADDED: August 22, 2010)
• Pick of the Patch Pumpkins - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, birthday parties, school tours
  1450 Fitzgerald Drive, Pinole, CA 94564. Phone: 808-268-3158. Email: pickofthepatchpumpkins@yahoo.com. Open: 7 days a week for the month of October; Sunday - Thursday from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm. Directions: Located in the Pinole Vista Shopping Center in front of Michaels. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Come pick your pumpkin and let your children play on our large inflatable slides, obstacle courses and bounce houses for the month of October. (ADDED: August 22, 2010)
• Pick of the Patch Pumpkins - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, birthday parties, school tours
  Delta Fair Blvd. And Century Blvd., Antioch, CA 94509. Phone: 808-268-3158. Email: pickofthepatchpumpkins@yahoo.com. Open: 7 days a week for the month of October; Sunday - Thursday from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm. Directions: Located on the corner of Delta Fair Blvd and Century Blvd. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Come pick your pumpkin and let your children play on our large inflatable slides, obstacle courses and bounce houses for the month of October. (ADDED: August 22, 2010)
• Pick of the Patch Pumpkins - pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, birthday parties, school tours
  1047 Arnold Drive, Martinez, CA 94553. Phone: 808-268-3158. Email: pickofthepatchpumpkins@yahoo.com. Open: 7 days a week for the month of October; Sunday - Thursday from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm. Directions: Click here for a map and directions.Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Come pick your pumpkin and let your children play on our large inflatable slides, obstacle courses and bounce houses for the month of October. (ADDED: August 22, 2010)
• The Pumpkin Patch on Orchard Lane - follows organic methods, pumpkins, pumpkin patch-pick in the field,
  2260 Concord Avenue Brentwood, Brentwood, CA 94513. Phone: 925-516-1365. Email: orchardlanepumpkinpatch@gmail.com. Directions: From The Highway 4 bypass go east on Marsh creek road. Make a left on Walnut. left on Concord Avenue Left on Orchard lane. We are on the left side of orchard lane. Follow the signs. And for a map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in October. Open: Friday Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm Open Halloween day from 11:08 to 6:00. From October 12th - 31st. We follow organic practices, but are not seeking certification. Payment: Cash, only. (ADDED: October 12, 2008) (UPDATED: May 25, 2010)
• Smith Family Farms - pumpkins, pumpkin patch, hayrides, tunnel of hay, a barnyard where kids can pet the farm animals, picnic area, and a replica of a Miwok Indian village.
  4430 Sellers Rd, Brentwood, CA. Phone: 925-625-5966. Directions: in Eastern Contra Costa County, about 45 minutes east of Oakland or one hour from San Francisco; call for detailed directions. Open: daily from June through October and throughout the month of December for Christmas trees; the rest of the year, open by appointment only. U-pick and picked boysenberries, tomatoes (50 varieties including Roma, beefsteak, and heirloom), peppers (15 types of hot and sweet), and a wide selection of other vegetables, herbs, stone fruits, apples, and fresh-cut flowers. Fall pumpkin harvest hayrides and special events offered. Picnic area. A visitor writes: "They have a marvelous collection of unusual heirloom tomatoes, all kinds of other vegetables, Brentwood sweet corn. They also have seasonal fruits. You can pick or they have a stand you can buy from with very reasonable hours. Their prices are very good also. At Halloween and Christmas they have special hayrides and barn activities for the kids along with corn and hay mazes. I am a very satisfied customer. "

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom....

I'm planning a trip back to Discovery Kingdom in the next couple weeks with some friends and I am really looking forward to it. However, we just realized that the Park is only open on the weekends, so we are a little disappointed as its so hard to coordinate an open weekend for everyone. I really want to take G back now that she is older, we went this time last year with her older cousins, but she was still small and not walking yet. So it will be great to see what she thinks of it this year!!

Here are some pictures from our last visit!

Baby Steals...

This is my new FAVORITE website... a NEW DEAL everyday!!!

Check it out.......

http://www.babysteals.com/index.php

Fairyland...

We took a trip to Fairyland in Oakland today. It is a very special place that is perfect for preschool age and older. Everything in set to their size and there is so much to explore. Fairyland is set on shores of Lake Merritt and offers ten acres where children's literature comes to life!!!!

We watched a puppet show, rode the merry-go-round (twice), and visited the animals. We even took a ride on a train! It was so fun and its easy to see everything in 2.5 hours. We packed our lunch and enjoyed a picnic in the shade, there are plenty of nice places to picnic and relax. Outside of the park, Lake Merritt also offers great picnic opportunities and places to walk, we made sure to take some time to walk the lake after our visit to Fairyland. I would highly recommend Fairyland, its worth the trip, oh and admission is only $6 with your AAA and parking is FREE!!

Wine Country's Best Family Restaurants...

• Best Family Restaurants in Wine Country selected by SFGATE.com.
• To see more about the winners click here: www. baylist.sfgate.com
• Andies Cafe Napa, CA
• Back Door Barbeque Napa, CA
• Canton Village Alameda County - Livermore, CA
• Cattlemens Alameda County - Livermore, CA
• Diavola Geyserville, CA
• diVine Pizza Healdsburg, CA
• Grace's Table Napa, CA
• Harry's Hofbrau Alameda County - Livermore, CA
• Mamma Taninos Sonoma, CA
• Marino's Pizza and Ravioli Ukiah, CA
• Mary's Pizza Shack Sonoma, CA
• Melo's Pizza & Pasta, Livermore Alameda County - Livermore, CA (with 2 other locations)
• Mendo Burgers Mendocino, CA
• North State Cafe Ukiah, CA
• Old Ironsides Cafe Santa Clara County - Santa Clara, CA
• Shiso Restaurant Sonoma, CA
• Similan Thai Cuisine Danville, CA

It's Fair Time too....

Here is a list of upcoming County Fairs :

San Mateo County Fair: In San Mateo, June 12th-20th https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/

Sonoma-Marin Fair: In Petaluma, June 23rd-27th http://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/

Solano County Fair: In Vallejo, June 23rd-27th http://www.scfair.com/scfair.html

Alameda County Fair: In Pleasanton June 23rd-July 11th http://www.alamedacountyfair.com

Marin County Fair: In San Rafael, July 1st-5th http://www.marinfair.org/2010/index.php

Napa County Fair: In Napa, July 1st-4th http://www.napacountyfair.org

Sonoma County Fair: In Santa Rosa, July 27th- August 8th http://www.sonomacountyfair.com

MyGym --- Santa Rosa

We just started attending MyGym last week with our friends, and so far its been a great success. We attend a Wednesday morning class called Waddlers (Ages 14-22months). Its a fun stimulating one hour program that introduces tumbling, hanging and agility skills. It is also a great way for toddlers to socialize with others and work on taking their turns and sharing. G loves the activities and the music. She is usually wiped out after one hour. Every week the room is rearranged and the activities change so each visit is a new experience. You can sign up for a weekly class or come in just for "free play." Each MyGym has its own schedule, and the classes range in ages 6 weeks to 3 years old.

Check one out in your area!!!

Coming Soon...