You might choose to take a sea foraging class with Dennis Judson of Adventure Sports.  It starts with a prep meeting Friday, then you spend Sunday foraging, preparing and eating.  Check it out!  Yum! Details are below.

Families who have taken this adventure tell me that the kids surprised themwith their willingness to try new foods! 

Included today are 4th of July events and a few unique recipes.  There is something for everyone whether it be a big parade or celebrations at home with family and friends. Pick up some red, white and blue crepe paper and other assorted doodads and let the kids go to town decorating their bikes, the house and themselves!

Have fun getting ready for our country's birthday celebration! Parmalee

"Hallowed be the day, forever bright its memory in the heart of the Nation.
Sing to it, poets;
shout to it, freemen;
celebrate it with bonfires, parades, and triumphant assemblies"

(Daily Alta California, 4 July 1855)

I've been thinking lately about one lesson I learned through parenting a child with behavioral and learning differences. When you parent a child who falls somewhere within that wide field we call "typical," lots of traditional parenting methods with incentives and consequences might work well enough. But it's not until we have a child who falls far from the center of the field that we might discover the value of parenting-and teaching-to the positive.

I was most recently reminded of this when my daughter spent a week at her favorite summer camp, Santa Cruz Soccer Camp. The first time I brought her to camp, I was very nervous. I explained that there were various behavioral challenges and that I was willing to stay and help. Coach Bill, without hesitation, asked if she was liable to run off.

"Well, no," I answered. That was one challenge she'd never presented me with!

"Fine, then," he said. "We can handle anything else. Go get some time for yourself."

And that was the end of the idea that I might have to stay and supervise her at soccer camp. The reason Bill was so sure of his camp's ability to handle my child was simply that they don't focus on the problems-they focus on success. They call their approach "learning through enjoyment," but it's a variation on lots of approaches with different names that stem from one simple idea: kids learn when they enjoy something and are successful at it, not when they are set up to fail and are punished. Lots of kids have learned deep lessons from soccer, drama, writing, and science-I am willing to bet that few have learned from detention. Read more>>>

Suki Wessling writes about parenting, education, gifted children, and homeschooling. If you'd like to learn more about Suki please click here.

Looking for a Middle Path

Acknowledgement: In the sharing of my ideas and observations there is the risk of seeming as if my ideas are "the one and only way' to think about the subjects at hand. I may come across as sounding like I think that I know something. I do not want to offer any recipes. I do want to offer my ideas and experiences, and actions I have chosen. 
I am continually trying to overcome the human affliction of thinking that what I am thinking are the right and only thoughts possible. For this post, and all past and future posts, I offer my apologies and acknowledge my communication shortcomings.  "Nuff said.

The other day I saw an announcement for a class for parents that would teach how to develop "listening and cooperation" from their young children. To me, the flyer said that what they were going to learn was how to be more authoritarian and bossy, and that 'listening and cooperation' in this context meant that the children would do what the parents told them. That isn't what I think of as listening and cooperation.

Don't get me wrong. I think... Read more>>>

Explore the world of the young child with writer, speaker and consultant Stephen Spitalny at Chamakanda Blogs.

Thanks Sunset.com.

• 1 seedless watermelon (about 6 lbs.)
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• Adult Version: 2 cups silver (also called blanco) tequila

1. Cut melon into chunks and discard rind. Purée chunks in batches in a food processor. Pour mixture through a strainer into a bowl. Pour 4 cups into another bowl; whisk in lemon juice. Save any remaining watermelon juice for another use. Pour juice mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.

2. Make drinks: Whirl half the watermelon cubes in a food processor until broken up.

For the Kids: add a little water to help blend the mixture

Adult Version: then add 1 cup tequila and whirl until blended. Pour into a pitcher and repeat with remaining ingredients.

Hint: Hold onto your glasses so the kids don't get the wrong one, better yet serve them in a small plastic cup!

In case you're in the mood for making a patriotic cake, this one gets great reviews! 

Plan ahead because this one is "made from scratch"!

Get the recipe on the The Pioneer Woman's website.

This one's easy and has pizazz!- also from Sunset.com

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 angel food cake (1 lb.)
• 32 strawberries (2 lbs.), preferably about 1 1/2 in. wide, hulled to create a V-shaped hollow $
• 6 tablespoons strawberry jam

Beat whipping cream, crème fraîche, sugar, and zest in a bowl with a mixer until thick enough to hold a soft shape. Chill.  Cut cake into parallel slices 1 1/2 in. wide, then cut slices into 32 chunks, each 1 1/2 in. Save remaining cake for other uses.   Heat grill to medium-low (300° to 350°).

Put strawberries in a large bowl. Microwave jam in a glass measuring cup until bubbling, about 30 seconds. Using a pastry brush, dab hulled insides of berries with jam, then brush remaining jam over berries and turn gently to coat all over.  Hold a pair of bamboo skewers so they're slightly separated and thread a chunk of cake onto them, then a berry crosswise, then another chunk of cake and another berry. Repeat to make 15 more kebabs.   Grill kebabs, covered, turning once with tongs, until grill marks appear, 3 to 4 minutes; cake should release from grate when it's toasted, but if not, nudge with tip of tongs. Serve with cream mixture. 

Below is only a partial list of upcoming events and activities so be sure to click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything.

Seafood Foraging Class
click to view website
Adventure Sports Unlimited
Their seafood foraging course converts average folks into gourmet hunter-gatherers.
Date: 6/27 & 29
Admission Fees: Cost: $70 Adults, $40 Children 6-17 years old

Seafood Foraging Classes

June 27th Meeting at 7pm with June 29th Forage All Day |

Gathering wild food from the sea is one of life's great pleasures, bringing you closer to nature's bounty and beauty. Walking along the seashore, wading through tide pools and listening to the ocean's rhythm is an exhilarating way to energize your life and refresh your soul. Not only will you gather wonderful delicacies from the seashore, but you will also explore a vibrant-almost paradoxical world of elegant colors and mysterious creatures.

And of course, we will gather wild foods. Wild foods are natural foods-grown without pesticides or human manipulation. Certainly, wild foods are the most organic of foods. Learning to harvest wild food brings a new twist to home cooking, parties and camping. We are going to break the myth of foraging as some kind of a hunter-gatherer survival training and show you how to create delicious gourmet dishes.

You will learn that foraging is very satisfying when you become a gourmet forager.

Each class includes an evening session for planning followed by a day of collecting and preparing a gourmet meal from the sea. Finishing touches for the feast will be assigned to students.

Private group outings are also available, call (831) 458-3648 for details.

Class Flier        Recipes

Location: 303 Potrero #15, Santa Cruz
•website• Santa Cruz