News

Kick start the holiday season with Whole Foods!

Enjoy an evening of holiday entrees, appetizers and dessert samplings throughout the store on our first-ever Holiday Soiree. Beer or wine tastings will be taking place, too. Featured vendor samplings include Pitman Farms meats and Diestel Farms turkey, crab cakes, our favorite holiday sides, seasonal produce, house made pies, a Top Ten wine tasting and a Firestone Walker beer tasting. Live music and great food!

Everyone that attends is entered into a holiday raffle and the first 100 people that arrive will receive a reusable bag with fun samples. Bonus: Order a holiday meal or turkey at the event and receive a coupon for a free fresh-baked apple, pumpkin or brown butter walnut pie (valid for first 50 orders).

$5 entry, or $10 with wine or beer sampling. Purchase tickets on EventBrite at http://bit.ly/Hvg3kr or purchase at the door.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to local non-profit, Safe Alternatives for Violent Environments or SAVE.

Friday, November 15th

8:30 – 10:30 P.M.

$5 entry or $10 with wine or beer tasting.

As part of these Baby’s First Christmas events, you and your little one are invited to visit your local Babies“R”Us store, where you can meet other parents in your community with babies of a similar age, participate in holiday festivities and more! Receive a “Baby’s First Christmas” sticker for your baby’s onesie, plus enjoy giveaways, prizes and a complimentary $10 Babies“R”Us Gift Card**!

If you’re unable to attend the event dedicated to your baby’s birthday month, we welcome you to join us on another event date that works best for you and your family!

Saturday, November 9: Babies born in January, February and March, and their parents

Saturday, November 16: Babies born in April, May and June, and their parents

Saturday, November 23: Babies born in July, August and September, and their parents

Saturday, December 7: Babies born in October, November and December, and their parents

Tell them F.U.N. sent you and look out for our cards there!

**Quantities limited. Distributed to participants only. Limit one promotional gift card per household.

…Board that is! It’s the 1st of November and that means a fresh start for the F.U.N. Mothers’ Club. Many thanks to Anne and Ranjani, and the rest of the 2012-2013 Board for doing an amazing job!

And now, we present the new F.U.N. Mothers’ Club Board for the 2013-2014 term…(drumroll, please…)

President – Connie Hodgeman

Vice President & Club Promotion – Gabriella Khorasanee

Secretary – Insert your name here!

Treasurer – Rupeet Malhotra

Database & Newsletter Layout – Ranjani Raghavan

Moderator & Volunteer Coordinator – Linda Tsang-Kong

Resource Guide – Tannia Bretzke

Website & Social Media- Irene Shen Stanley

Social Media – Insert your name here!

Newsletter Editor – Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham

Advertising – Uma Menon

Kids’ Outings & Playgroups – Jie Zhang

Moms’ Night Out – Karen Ling & Karen Chan

Family Events – Tejal Swar & Shilpa Vishwanathan

Coffee Socials – Jonni Zukauskas

May Pampering – Kitty Aquino-Esparrago

Preschool Faire & Playgroups- Urmila Padmanabhan

Relay for Life – Deannalani Realinia

Maternity Closet – Lisa Isailovic

IAP Coordinator – Selvia Widodo

Community Outreach – Anne Hernandez

Advisory Council – Elizabeth Crandall-Whittom, Lisi M and Laura Koski

By Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham

Parents spend a lot of time reminding their children to say please and thank you. “What do you say?” is one of those refrains we never thought we’d hear ourselves say…and yet, we say it all the time.

But what about the flip side? How often do we remind ourselves to express gratitude? Anyone lucky enough to have a much-adored preschooler running around the house has lots to be thankful for. Of course, said preschooler often tires a person out so much that it becomes difficult to remember exactly what it is we’re thankful for. But it’s worth remembering. After all, everyone says that gratitude and happiness are closely linked, and surely we want to model both.

So how can we give ourselves a little gratitude reminder, now and then?

Some suggest keeping a gratitude journal. That is, writing down two or three things every day for which you’re thankful. Some might find this forced, others might really benefit. Doesn’t hurt to give it a try….

I like the idea of expanding on “thanks” and making a point of telling people, including our kids, very specifically what it is that they’ve done that we appreciate. It gives them added pleasure, and us too.

Talking about beauty, comfort and other delights is a form of thankfulness. Sometimes speaking aloud an inner observation, such as, “I love the way the light comes through the windows in the afternoon,” is enough to remind us of how lucky we are to be in the world.

When all else fails, look into your child’s eyes for a full, unwavering minute. Gratitude doesn’t begin to cover it but will have to do for now.  Hey, lucky stars out there: Thanks!

A series of six, free nutrition classes will be held at Fremont Main Library beginning on Sunday, November 10 through December 15.  The classes will meet weekly from 1:30 to 3 p.m., in the Fukaya Room A.

The classes topics are (with incentive provided in parenthesis):

1. Get Moving!!  (Water Bottle)

2.  Plan, Shop, $ave (Shopping List)

3.  Vary Your Veggies…Focus on Fruits (Vegetable Brush)

4. Make Half Your Grains Whole (Measuring Cup)

5. Build Strong Bones (Exercise Band)

6. Go Lean with Protein (Thermometer)

7. Make a Change (Measuring Spoon)

8..Celebrate! Eat Smart and Be Active (Recipe Book)

The class is conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension.  Registration starts on Sunday, November 3.  Register online on www.aclibrary.org.