Halloween DIY photos wanted

Have you ever made a costume for your children or created one from clothes and accessories? Send photos to editor@bakidsmagazine.com with some information about how you did what you did and we'll include it in our next issue! (Include your name and city too).

Yoshi's? Yum!

My wife says my blogs are too long, so I will try and keep it short and simple (stupid!).

Went to Yoshi's at Jack London Square for dinner with our daughter and gorged on sushi and other good stuff. Am full, but satisfied, and happy because my daughter tried most everything we put on her plate at least once. She really liked the chili/pepper edamame and calamari too (full review coming in the Oct/Nov issue of Bay Area Kids magazine!)

Finished off dinner by grabbing a cone at Ben&Jerry's across the way and walking along Jack London Square. Nice, calm, cool night - good break from everything.

I think that was short but sweet, right?

No Guilt Trip at the Gym

So I've started going back to the gym after four long years, four years that produced two offspring which has been a major reason for not being able to get back to the gym ... such a vicious circle :)

But we just joined Club Sport San Ramon (www.clubsportsr.com) after doing a lot of searching and comparison shopping. One of the main reasons we opted to join CSSR was because of their KidsClub. Of course it's one thing to read and be told about how fabulous an offer is, it's another to experience it for yourself.

So it was with trepidation that we brought our youngest (two years old) to the gym and dropped him off at the KidsClub. His reaction? He looked at the toy train table, the oversized crawl space, the kids reading in another corner ... and he walked right in and went to work (I mean, play). As a parent, there's a huge sigh of relief knowing that your child is in good hands, and it was great to be able - for two hours - to concentrate not on whether my child was having a good time - but on my new fitness routine.

Mamma Mia Sing A Long

Bring your blankets, pillows, lawn chairs, and singing voices to Wente this Monday for a night of under-the-stars sing-a-long fun as they host a free showing of the movie Mamma Mia! Come early, mark out your spot on their lawn and then go grab some munchies (popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, or chicken sandwiches, along with lots of popcorn, and beverages - including some wine for the adults). Movie starts at sundown, but you should get there early as the popular event tends to fill up.

http://www.wentevineyards.com/

Speaking of Wente, you should check out the cool concerts they have coming up:

The Wente Vineyards Staycation Four Pack The Concerts at Wente Vineyards announces a special “Staycation Four Pack” for upcoming concerts this summer! The package includes 4 Mezzanine Dining Tickets to your choice of Gretchen Wilson, Steve Miller Band, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, and Chris Isaak a bottle of Wente Vineyards Estate Grown Wine, and reserved VIP parking, all for just $399 (with no additional fees!)! Call (925) 456-2424 today and mention the four pack to purchase this fabulous package!

Work it out

I warmed (and warned) my body last week, so this week I'm really starting to tackle the weight room at Club Sport San Ramon. I'm still going slow - I'm planning on two sets (first one 10 reps, second 8 reps minimum) per station, straining a little, but not going overboard ... not yet :)

It's been almost 4 years since I stepped into a gym, so I was a little out of my element at first, but like riding a bike, the minute I lay down and started on my first bench press, it all came back. So I did upper back, chest today, and I think will stick with a MT TF schedule, and maybe throw in a Sat/Sun if I can.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, is going to be interesting as we'll bring my two-year old son with us and see if he likes the drop-off at CSSR. One of the services that attracted me to CSSR was their very cool, fully staffed child drop-off center. Some gyms claim to have an "infant room," but really includes no more than some old gym balls, torn up kids' books, and one disgruntled employee who got stuck with the shift.

Not at CSSR. They have a full nursery, and a huge kids room that includes a climbing fort and an arts/craft section too, all staffed by fully-trained personnel who look happy to be working with the children. This means less stress for me while I work out. So we'll see what happens.

The objective of all this is to show that it is possible to be a parent of a child (in our case two), have full-time job/s, and still fit in at least 30-45 minutes a day to get some sort of exercise in. I'm also going to be working on some better eating tips too. I do want to post photos as I go, but am waiting to make an appt. with the trainer and get a good routine going first, and then provide more up-to-date info. Stay tuned!

Wiggle Why You Work (a review of the Wiggles concert)

This was my kids first concert, and it being the Wiggles, I thought my own two children (two year old boy who lives/breathes Wiggles videos, and a four year old daughter) would be super hyped about it—what with Wags the Dog, Capt'n Feathersword, Henry the Octopus and the regular cast all going to be on stage singing their favorite songs. However, I don't think my kids really understood what "live concert" meant until we got there and found our seats. Only then did they realize that something cool was afoot.

As a parent, my last concert was B.B. King live at the Shoreline and before that Barenaked Ladies, and Metallica, so seeing the Wiggles was going to be a bit of a departure, and wasn't sure what to expect.

The stage was pretty bare for a multi-million dollar franchise like the Wiggles. A blow-up circus backdrop, and some steel frames, along with Jeff's keyboard was all that was there. Once the show started, however, it became obvious why so little props were needed—there was too much dancing and cavorting, and the dancers and the Wiggles needed all the spare room they could get hold of.

The show had a Cirque de Soleil feel to it, with lots of human tricks, and dancers dressed as medieval performers and Parisian street players. What the show didn't lack was energy—dancers and piroueters and acrobats jammed and jimmied and jumped and summersaulted all through their repertoire of our childrens' favorite Wiggles tunes, including one of my favorites, "Old Man Tucker" (not sure why, just dig it a lot). Sidelong glances at my two children showed them bobbing their heads and mouthing the words, and wide-eyed joy when they recognized one of their own favorite songs playing.

As a forty-year old man, I must say I was a bit jealous when I saw the actual Wiggles—Sam, Jeff, Murray, and Anthony—do so much physical work, usually along with the professional dancers, for four guys getting close to their fifties. To say they were fit would be an understatement, especially Anthony, who was jumping and playing on the monkey bars like a twelve-year old.

Overall it was a great show, one of those shows where the time flies and the lights go on before you realize it. My two-year old son lit up when Wags came on stage (we brought the prerequisite dog bones for him), and my daughter was digging the dancers. Can't wait to catch them next time around!

August 10: Mamma Mia Sing-A-Long Movie Night (free)

Save the date: Wente Vineyards (www.wentevineyards.com) will be hosting their final Summer Movie Night on August 10 with a showing of one of the highest grossing musical movies of all time: Mamma Mia! Guests at this free event, however will get a special treat: the movie features a sing-a-long version so the whole audience can pipe in!

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and jackets (it does cool down), but keep food/drinks at home. Not to worry, Wente has a full array of yummy drinks and food for both young and old, including popcorn.

Movie starts at sundown, but it's advisable to get their early, around 6:30.

Mamma Mia, here we go again!

See you there!