Kelly Tirman » Places

Bay Area Discovery Museum – Sausalito, California

kellytirman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:09:33 +0000

As parents of a toddler we find ourselves at the Bay Area Discovery Museum rather frequently. There are lots of activities to keep a toddler busy such as…

There is this great wall to paint on, spray with water, squeegee off and start again. Ivey LOVES to paint so we usually spend a good chunk of time doing this.

In the same art room there is a sand table, that on this occasion contained Bubber. Have you heard of Bubber? It is a really cool modeling compound that is lightweight, Gluten-Free, Dust-Free, Allergen Free, Stain Free, Easy to clean and never dries out. Personally I like it a million times better than the traditional Play-Doh.

There are also great outdoor activities but remember to bring a jacket and a hat in case it is foggy that day.

My daughter LOVES to climb rocks. If there is rocks anywhere to be found, she will find them and climb them!

But one of the favorite things (besides the yummy organic food) about the Bay Area Discovery Museum is simply enjoying each other as a family!

About the Bay Area Discovery Museum
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor children’s museum at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, serving over 300,000 visitors per year on its 7.5 acre Sausalito campus. The Museum is the only children’s museum in the U.S. to be located in a national park, and its exhibits are admired and emulated by other children’s museums nationwide. The Museum is recognized as the leading children’s museum dedicated to nurturing childhood creativity, fostering future generations of creative thinkers and innovators. With this emphasis on creativity through play, the Museum encourages children ages 6 months to 8 years to develop into curious, creative, adventurous lifelong learners and explorers.

The Museum’s unique programs feature hands-on art, science and environmental exhibitions, performances, special events, cultural festivals and ongoing educational curricula… all with a focus on fun!

Have you ever been to the Bay Area Discovery Museum? What is your toddler’s favorite thing to do there?

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

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Camp Mather, a San Francisco Family Tradition.

kellytirman — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:00:57 +0000

I have been looking forward to attending Camp Mather long before I settled down and got married. As a child, I LOVED summer camp and once I learned about Camp Mather I couldn’t wait to have my own family and participate in this quintessential San Francisco experience otherwise know as family camp.

Getting into Camp Mather isn’t always easy. During the summer there is a lottery, but if you are up for attending Camp Mather in September it is much easier to get a spot. There are also less mosquitoes in the fall which makes it a great time to go if you are bringing young children that you don’t want to coat with nasty bug repellent.

The only downside of attending Camp Mather in the fall is that sometimes there are a few brief rain showers. Lucky for us they were mild and only occurred during the girls nap times.

Cabins are rustic and include beds, a dresser, closet, and if you are lucky a bookshelf. However there is a picnic table out front and the cabins have electricity.

The few mild rain showers provided us some time to catch up on our reading while sitting on the small front porch of our cabin. There is no cell or internet service at Camp Mather. At first I honestly thought I might die, but not being connected for almost five whole days turned out to be an incredible blessing!

Since the cabins are TINY you will spend almost all of your time outdoors. There is a beautiful lake, swimming pool, tennis court, basket ball court, ping pong table, archery, etc. etc.

Horse and donkey rides are available for a fee. Ivey LOVED stopping by to talk to the “caballos y burros” several times a day. She even learned how to make a pretty realistic neigh and hee-haw sound which is wonderfully amusing and annoying at the same time.

There are also activities like making lanyard, friendship bracelets and tie-dyeing t-shirts.

One of the BEST things about Camp Mather is that you don’t have to cook! They feed you three squares a day and the food actually tastes good. During a few of the meals Ivey, like a typical toddler, refused to eat what was provided – lucky for us cereal and apple sauce is almost always available as well.

Instead of heading to the dining hall for lunch you can request a sack lunch and eat it at the lake or other location of your choice.

Because we didn’t bring the stroller, and she is not quite big enough for a high chair, Linden spent most meals sitting on my husband’s lap. She is only 3 months old but I swear I caught her checking out daddy’s food on more than one occasion.

Most people bring bikes to Camp Mather. However if you don’t have a bike, or your kids are too little, make sure you bring carriers for each child. Originally I was only planning on bringing the Moby for Linden but I luckily decided to pack the Ergo as a backup. As it turns out, Ivey spent a fair amount of time being carried in the Ergo and I really don’t know what we would have done without it.

Ivey loved Camp Mather (she loves playing in the dirt and picking flowers to wear in her hair). She didn’t wear a pull up during the day (except for naps) which really helped with her potty-training. On the few occasions where we were hiking around and were unable to reach the bathrooms in time, Ivey learned how to take a “nature pee”. Now that we are back in the city however getting Ivey to understand that a nature pee should only happen in nature is not that easy to explain when you live in an urban neighborhood where the streets sometimes smell like pee.

While at Camp Mather we met so many amazing San Francisco families. Some of these families have been attending Camp Mather ever summer for 30 years! This trip started off as an item I wanted to check off my life list but ended up as the start of a family tradition. Hopefully we will see you there as well!

Have you attended Camp Mather? I would love to hear your stories and experiences! Please leave a comment below.

About Kelly Tirman

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Bolinas, California

kellytirman — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:52:43 +0000

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to live in Bolinas. We drive there often, mostly just to surf. But when the surf isn’t happening we walk, talk and dream about what our lives would be like if we called Bolinas home.

In the 1960s, Bolinas was a small fishing village with a few vacation homes along the cliff and beach.

Now Bolinas is a quirky town in West Marin full of surfers, artists, musicians, old hippies, retired millionaires and a few small shops.

2 Mile Surf Shop is a great resource full of highly skilled surfers. I have asked them tons of stupid questions over the last seven years and they have never given me crap.

I often dream about owning a small organic spa like Sandra’s.

or a shop like Judith’s Herbals. She (Judith) makes the most adorable organic potions which has to be one of the best jobs ever!

Or maybe I could work at the Coast Cafe where at least I would always be well fed.

About Kelly Tirman

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Bring Your Baby to the Movies

kellytirman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:00:08 +0000

I thought my movie theater days were on hold due to the recent birth of my daughter however I was pleasantly surprised to discover the FREE Monthly Mom and Baby Movie at the Presidio Theater on Chestnut Street.

For years now Jill Russo and Lorianne Daluz have been sponsoring the Monthly Mom and Baby Movie and as a result admission is free for Moms, kids and their friends.

At first I was a little skeptical; what was the catch, why was the movie free? How on earth could I watch a movie with a newborn? What if she cried? What if I needed to breastfeed or change her diaper?

When I arrived at the theater I found myself standing outside making small talk amongst a sea of moms, babies, strollers, and the occasional dad. We parked our strollers in the lobby and proceeded to carry our babies (and their gear) up the stairs while politely maneuvering to secure the best possible seats. Jill then introduced herself and gave the softest 30 second sales pitch I have ever heard. The lights were dimmed (only slightly) and the movie started. Throughout the movie babies would cry, mothers fed, diapers were changed, and babies were burped and bounced.

I can only assume that anyone without a child would be annoyed by the noise however I found it heart touching and personally I was thrilled to be in a theater watching a newly released movie.

Check out www.jillrusso.com on the Tuesday prior to Thursday showing for specific movie information.

Who: Moms, babies, kids, friends
What: FREE newly released movie
Where: Presidio Theater on Chestnut Street in San Francisco
When: Second Thursday of each month at 1:00pm

Additional Tip: Walk or take public transportation (if possible) and consider sitting down and having lunch at Pluto’s prior to the movie, the salads are scrumptious!

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Bakesale Betty is um um Good

kellytirman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42:59 +0000

Location & Hours:
Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph Avenue (at 51st Street)
Oakland, CA 94609
Tuesday – Saturday: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
(510) 985-1213
Map It

My friend Sara Khoury introduced me to Bakesale Betty several months ago and I have been literally addicted ever since. The food is so ridiculously good that when a craving hits I’ll drive across the bridge into Oakland without giving it a second thought.

Don’t be surprised if Betty (a.k.a lady with a bright blue wig) or one of her employees sneaks you some additional items free of charge. This method of providing patrons with additional treats is their way of getting us addicted. I am positive their food is laced with LOVE.

As you pull up to the location you might be surprised by the absence of signage but it is right on the corner so you can’t really miss it. If you see a line don’t be afraid it moves fast and it is well worth the wait. Once you have ordered take a seat outside at one of the cute ironing boards tables and enjoy the heart of the Oakland’s Temescal District. You might be surprised to find out how cool this part of Oakland really is.

Here are some of my favorites:

Fried Chicken Sandwich (crispy and spicy)
Lemon Ice (refreshing and not too sweet)
Carrot Cake Muffins (with icing to die for)
Ginger Cookies (chewy and spicy with visible chunks of ginger)
Pumpkin Bread (beautifully crusted and superbly moist)
Take and Bake Chicken Pot Pie (the best chicken pot pie in the whole world and believe me I have tasted my fair share)

About Kelly Tirman

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