December Newsletter

It’s the time of year when our kids get to attend tree lighting ceremonies, sing their little hearts out at holiday concerts and get showered with fake snow. This month in Laguna has been a festive end to a year full of great memories. As you look back on the past year, we hope that the Parents Club has helped you forge new friendships and find support from fellow parents and has given your children opportunities to explore the world around them.

We are grateful to those of you who have already signed up to help with our annual Adopt a Family efforts. Parents Club members have committed to delivering Christmas presents to 26 families. For those of you who want to get involved, there’s still time! The Parents Club also has adopted the CSP Children’s Shelter in Laguna as a “family.” Six youth ranging from ages 11 to 17 live there at a time. Since we don’t know specifics about them, gift cards would be greatly appreciated. This is the perfect opportunity to give what you can and donate a gift card of ANY amount. Please contact Staci at stacibina@mac.com for drop-off information. She has generously organized this effort on the club’s behalf. You can find more information here: http://www.bigtent.com/group/news/entry/74544039.

We also know of a Mission Viejo family that includes a single mom and three kids who recently lost their home and nearly all of their belongings to foreclosure. They need everything, from furniture and sheets to pots and pans. If you would like to help, contact Shawna at shawnalv2@yahoo.com.

Don’t forget that Dad’s Night Out is this Monday, December 17. These don’t take place very often, so be sure to take advantage of a fun night of football, beer and pizza. The guys will be meeting at the new NEApolitan Pizzeria/Bierria on PCH in South Laguna from 5:30 to 8:30. The club will be providing free beer. Come whenever you can. (Moms, if your husband is hesitant to get out and meet other dads, please give them some encouragement. They deserve a night out, too.)

Just look at how much fun the moms had at the Montage earlier this month.

For those of you who made the hand and foot imprints, they have arrived. You can pick them up at Kat Gianesin’s house on the porch. Her address is available on Big Tent. (Since this newsletter is wildly popular and read by the general public, we don’t want to post her address online.)

Thank you to everyone who helped create ornaments for our absolutely amazing Sawdust tree. Our super-crafters Lauren Barry and Wendy Joy put a lot of time and creativity into our tree this year. If you made any ornaments, you can now pick them up from Megan Cauley’s house. Her address is available in this post: http://www.bigtent.com/group/news/entry/74615573. It will be fun to put their lightbulb snowmen and gold baby shoes on the tree 20 years from now. 

Thinking ahead to January, there’s still time to read our bookclub selection, Hector Tobar’s The Barbarian Nurseries. The book is set in Southern California and was a NY Times Notable Book for 2011 and a Boston Globe Best Fiction Book of 2011. What more do you need to convince you to pick up this great read over the holidays? We’ll be meeting to discuss what we loved or hated about the book on January 9 from 7:30 to 9:30 at The Deck (at the Pacific Edge Hotel).

Since it’s colder out and the kids have more free time, you may be looking for some activities to do with them. Try baking these cupcakes for neighbors and friends from the blog With Sprinkles on Top: http://www.withsprinklesontop.net/p=1156. (I can't come up with this stuff on my own.) 

Or if you have any Christmas cards that you saved from last year, cut them into small circles and string them to make personalized garland for your tree.

Most importantly, we want to thank you for supporting the Parents Club this past year. We welcomed many new members, had a calendar full of successful events and were able to make several generous donations to local non-profits. We hope that as you celebrate this holiday season you are surrounded by family, friends (both new and old), and the children who bring so much joy, meaning and fulfillment to our lives all year. 

 

November Newsletter

We celebrate Laguna’s small town vibe all year, but it’s particularly endearing during the holidays when the community comes together to celebrate. There are so many upcoming holiday events to mention that we’ll keep this month’s introduction short and sweet. Be sure to check out the Parents Club events we have planned, including a tree decorating craft and December Mom’s Night Out. We also give you a run-down of local tree lighting ceremonies you’ll want to add to your calendar. 

Also, try to take your little ones with you to vote today. At the very least, they’ll think it’s cool to get a sticker and watch you push a button. And you could be encouraging a future mayor or president. 

We couldn’t have had a better start to the holiday season than the Halloween walk through downtown. We had almost 300 parents, kids, and friends and family members come together to trick-or-treat at local businesses and enjoy food and drinks at Nirvana Grille. We want to thank everyone, including Mayor Jane Egly, for taking part and contributing to the Friendship Shelter. We also are so grateful to all the businesses that handed out treats to the little pumpkins and to Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales, who let us take over Nirvana Grille. Those bartenders probably needed a drink of their own afterward. For more photos of the event, check out our Facebook page. 

In preparation, the 2010 playgroup decorated trick-or-treat bags.

The 2011 playgroup met up on Halloween to celebrate on Oak Street.

The holiday fun continues this week on Tuesday and Thursday, when we’ll be making decorations for the Parents Club holiday tree that will be on display at the Sawdust Winter Fantasy Festival. This year, we’re going earth-friendly with the theme “The Future is Mine.” We are hosting two decorating days to accommodate nap schedules. You’ll be able to collect your ornaments after the festival has ended.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 10:30 to 12:30
Where: Alta Laguna Park
What we’ll make: Snowmen, bottle snowflakes, garland
What to bring: (If you have them) Old light bulbs (like the ones in your closet that you’ve been meaning to properly dispose of for years, but haven’t), clean plastic water or soda bottles with the labels removed

When: Thursday, Nov. 8 from 3:00 to 5:00
Where: Bluebird Park
What we’ll make: Twine balls, painted baby shoes
What to bring: One baby shoe per child, plastic bags

Then come enjoy the results of your hard work at the Sawdust tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 5:30. Click here for more details. 

Also, this week, the book club will be meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 7 from 7:30 to 9:30 at the Deck at the Pacific Edge Hotel to discuss the November book selection “Cool, Calm and Contentious.” The club will then take a break during December. That means you have two months to read the January selection “The Barbarian Nurseries” — set in Southern California — by Hector Tobar.

For those of you wanting to simplify dinner, check out the Meal Prep Class at the Laguna Culinary Arts (845 Laguna Canyon Road) Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 7:00 to 9:00. You can make all of the meals in less than 2 hours while enjoying a glass of wine. The fall menu includes herb-crusted rack of lamb, cherry herb chicken and sausages with roasted fennel. You can make five four-serving meals for $150 or ten four-serving meals for $250. E-mail Chef Evan at evan@evanssupperclub.com to reserve a spot. You can find the entire Supper Club menu online at EvansSupperClub.com.

One of our final events of the year, our next Mom’s Night Out will be on Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Montage, where we’ll meet for a glass of Champagne. We’ll be sending details shortly, but plan on getting fancy and having fun.

Also be on the lookout for information about our annual Adopt a Family campaign. This is a great way to help our kids focus on giving to others, especially during the busy, gift-filled holidays. You can either provide gifts for an entire family or contribute money or gifts to a general fund that we’ll distribute. We had such an amazing response last year and would love to keep the spirit of giving going strong this year as well.

If you love a good holiday tree lighting ceremony (isn’t that all of us?), check out these upcoming community celebrations.

The Montage holiday tree lighting and open house happens on Monday, Nov. 26, starting at 4:30. In addition to the stunning tree lighting, there are a lot of events for the kids. To secure a spot, RSVP to MLBRSVP@montagehotels.com. This will be a packed event, so arrive early to get a parking spot before the merry madness begins. You can find more info (including a map of the activities) by clicking here.

The Crystal Cove Alliance tree lighting and holiday bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 1 is a smaller, but still beautiful, event. Plus, it’s one of the few spots where you can find a Christmas tree actually on the beach. This a great backdrop for a family Christmas card photo. You also can bring a picnic to enjoy at the benches on the beach before or after the lighting. Check here for additional details.

Finally, don’t miss Laguna Beach Hospitality Night on Friday, December 7 beginning at 5:00. Santa is scheduled to arrive at City Hall at 6:00, where he will light the pepper tree. Afterward, stroll around downtown while enjoying music and stopping in shops for some holiday shopping and a quick drink or snack. This is one of Laguna’s best events of the year. Hopefully it won’t still be so hot that Santa has to go beard-less while wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Havaianas.

Happy holidays! We hope to see you at an event soon.

September Newsletter

This week marks the official end of summer. Many of our kids have started school, and the Death Valley-like heat seems to be letting up. It’s the perfect time to pause and look back at our favorite moments from the past few months. We hope that some of your fondest memories have taken place at Parents Club events or with friends you’ve met through the club. As fall sets in, we also start to look ahead at what the rest of the year holds. This week alone, we have tide pool trips at Main Beach and Mom’s Night Out on Duffy boats scheduled. The fun will continue through the rest of the year with playgroups, holiday-related events, and entertainment for the whole family, including the always adorable Halloween parade. Details for all of these happenings will be available on Big Tent; we look forward to seeing you at an event soon.

The annual BBQ at Bluebird Park is always a big hit and this year was no exception. More than 100 of you turned out for our family-style picnic that included plenty of food, live music, conversation and booze (it was Friday night, after all). We were so happy to see all of you there enjoying each other’s company while the kids played together.

For each of our major events, we support a charity in Southern California. Thanks to your generosity at the BBQ, Kami Marshall and her little assistant were able to deliver more than 1,000 diapers and several boxes of new and gently used bedding to the Child Abuse Prevention Center.

This past month, some of the kids also enjoyed a trip to Tanaka Farms, where they got to ride a tractor through the organic farm while learning about how different fruits and vegetables are grown. It was a hot day, but fortunately the tour included a stop at a tent for plenty of watermelon, cucumbers and other cool treats.

For more photos of events and information about what’s happening with the Parents Club, like us on Facebook. We also frequently post deals from our sponsors that exclusive to our members, so be sure to check in periodically.

If you are looking for a fun outing this afternoon (Monday, September 17), meet us for a field trip at the Main Beach tidepools. We’ll start at the Lifeguard Headquarters next to the basketball courts at 4:15. Bring a picnic and stay after the tour to enjoy a snack and beautiful afternoon. Ideal tidepool conditions don’t happen often, so take advantage of this opportunity.

For those of you wanting to simplify dinner, check out the Meal Prep Class at the Laguna Culinary Arts (845 Laguna Canyon Road) this Tuesday, September 18 from 7:00 to 9:00. There’s a new menu for fall that includes herb-crusted rack of lamb, cherry herb chicken and sausages with roasted fennel. You can make five four-serving meals for $150 or ten four-serving meals for $250. E-mail Chef Evan at evan@evanssupperclub.com to reserve a spot. You can find the entire Supper Club menu online at EvansSupperClub.com.

Our last event before the official end of summer is a Mom’s Night Out favorite this Wednesday, September 19: a Duffy boat ride in Newport Harbor. What better way to cap off the season than by enjoying an evening of wine and food with girlfriends on a boat? We’ll meet at the high school and share cabs to Newport Beach. You must RSVP on Big Tent to attend, so reserve your spot now (we still have some spaces left).

We know the winter holidays are still a few months away, but we want to help cut back on some of the madness. Join us on Monday, October 8 at Alta Laguna Park from 12:00 to 3:00 for a ceramic imprint craft day. You can make a hand or foot print that a parent, grandparent or other family member would love. Various designs are available and start at $20. Check out www.MadeWithLoveImprints.com to get an idea of what you would like to make.

You still have time to read the next book club book, the much-discussed “Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting” by Pamela Druckman. The club will meet Wednesday, October 3 from 7:30 to 9:30; check Big Tent for the location. This is a great opportunity to share opinions on different parenting styles while having a glass of wine with friends.

Mark your calendars now for our annual Halloween parade on Thursday, October 25 and prepare for an abundance of cuteness. The little ones will parade through downtown in their costumes while parents, relatives, residents and local businesses cheer them on. Afterward, families are invited to meet downtown for drinks and appetizers. Stay tuned for more details on this not-to-be-missed event.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the non-Parents Club events around town as well. For the rest of the month, Heisler Park Sunset Serenades are taking place on Friday nights starting at 5:30. This week (September 21) is jazz vocalist Nancy Sanchez, and Phantom Tortoise, a contemporary folk band, will be playing September 28.

Just a reminder that the Parents Club is run by volunteers. If you are interested in helping, click on the volunteer tab at the top of the blog. We are always appreciative of any time you can give to keep the club running. We would also like to thank the following sponsors for supporting the club. 

Happy September!