Irvine Housing Forums

Parenting in Interracial Families

2009-11-17T16:40:42-08:00

I don’t really care who lives around me, I’ll force them all to come over and have a beer in the backyard. Although I will note that I generally have more success in that endeavor with the Caucasions and the Koreans than I do with the Chinese. YMMV.

Just for the record and on a totally personal note, we like Irvine because there is a much bigger proportion of families (and kids) that look just like ours as compared to anywhere else we have ever been. Eight of 22 kids in her class are half white/asian just like our daughter. We like that. As a bi-racial child we want her to be raised a setting that reflects her. Not that one can’t thrive wherever they live (don’t need anyone chiding me for that)—- but kids can be mean, and being an oddity in a sea of people who look don’t look like you is just one more hurdle. Southern California is a very diverse place—- but it also can be very segregated. Living in a place where most of the kids look like me (south OC) or like her mother (Arcadia) is not the environment we were looking for. This one fits.

Recommendation for dance studio please…

2009-11-20T14:57:16-08:00

I am in search of a dance studio in Irvine for a 4 year old. I heard of Focus Dancing near UCI but the Saturday morning session, which would be the best time for me, was closed. Googled what I was looking for and saw Dance Emotion. Anyone has any experience with them? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

American girl place

2009-11-16T19:09:47-08:00

Anyone been here? I wanted to take kiddo on her birthday, but wasn’t sure if it was really worth it. It’s a $250 for a day, but includes $130 spending money which I assume can be used for dolls.

http://www.americangirl.com/stores/location_la.php

Please share your experiences.

What’s in a name? More than you might think

2009-11-18T14:31:42-08:00

LONDON (Reuters) – A London-based translation firm is offering parents-to-be the chance to check the meaning of prospective baby names in other languages to avoid inadvertently causing their offspring future embarrassment.

Celebrity couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes might have thought twice about naming their daughter Suri if they’d known that it means “pickpocket” in Japanese, “turned sour” in French, and “horse mackerels” in Italian, suggest Today Translations.

For 1,000 pounds ($1,678), the company’s linguists will carry out a “basic name translation audit” of names, checking their meaning in 100 languages, or more for an additional cost.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091117/od_nm/us_britain_names_odd

Best Place to Raise Kids in California

2009-11-17T20:03:54-08:00

Not Irvine

Arcadia

Nearest city: Los Angeles
Population: 55,817
Median family income: $83,480
Runners-up: Monterey Park, Diamond Bar

Arcadia, located about 20 miles from Los Angeles, is the state’s best place to raise kids for the second consecutive year because of its low crime and excellent schools. The population of Arcadia includes a number of peacocks that hang out in the neighborhood near the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Garden.

Pole Dancer Doll

2009-11-16T13:26:19-08:00

Hallmark’s new Recordable Storybook

2009-11-07T18:36:54-08:00

Hallmark’s new Recordable Storybook features voice capture technology, recording the reader’s voice, which is captured within the book. When a child turns a page, the book automatically plays the text on that page in the reader’s voice.

Recordable Storybooks are great alternatives for out-of-town grandparents, parents in the military, or parents who travel on business who still want to “read” to their kids from across the miles.

http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article|10001|10051|/HallmarkSite/GoldCrownStores/GCS_HOLIDAY_GIFTS_STORYBOOKS

Recordable Storybooks are also available in Everyday Designs

All The Ways I Love You

Bright & Beautiful—A Child’s Blessing

Hallmark Introduces Games and Books Designed for Family Time Together

2009-11-16T16:11:53-08:00

The “Together Time” line consists of 32 activities and three books all intended to give adults fun, focused time with the children in their lives. Products in the collection encourage group participation, making it relatively easy for anyone to participate, and are not time intensive.

Examples of the activities in the collection include “Play with Your Food,” a TV dinner-shaped game for families that includes everything from fun food trivia to silly charades.

The game allows for flexible playtime so parents and kids can play the game in whatever amount of time is available. Categories include Use Your Noodle (brain teasers), Ham It Up (elicit silly actions and responses), Mixed Veggies (a variety of open ended conversation starters) and Easy as Pie (simple questions). Other new products include Pizza 31 for counting skills and Don’t Break the Chain for memory and listening skills.

Designed to be enjoyed by all members of the family, the toys and games can be played at different levels. Most of the products are designed for children three years and older, offering younger children the ability to participate with adult guidance.

http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article|10001|10051|/HallmarkSite/GoldCrownStores/GCS_GIFTS_GAMES

When I grow up…I want to be like mommy!

2009-11-16T02:43:07-08:00

Doesn’t it look like a stripper pole?

Adopted Children - Tell them or not?

2009-11-10T19:06:14-08:00

Over the weekend, I was out shopping and overheard an unusual conversation. An older woman was inside the store with her son, who appeared to be about 16 or 17 years old. The son went for a walk around the very small store while his mom was shopping. Another woman walked in and recognized the mother who, she apparently hadn’t seen in years. The two women began happily catching up on things that have happened in the time since they’ve seen each other. The woman said to the mother in a very loud voice, “The last time I saw you, you had just adopted a baby boy! How’s he doing?” The mother abruptly said, “SSHHHHH!!! Don’t say a word! He doesn’t know and he’s here somewhere!” Of course by this point, I’m not really shopping but just pretending to browse around them so I can find out what happens next, LOL. I looked for the guy to see if he just heard this bombshell announcement. Then I saw him standing right outside the door, on the other side of the glass. So, it didn’t look like he heard anything, but my God - what a way to find out something like that. I wondered if she hasn’t told him by now, who knows, maybe she never plans to or not for a very long time.

I know some of you have adopted. What do you plan to tell your kids and why?

I think I would do what Barbara Walters did. She adopted a daughter and told her from a very young age, “Some babies grow in their mother’s tummies. You grew in my heart.” As they get older, you use terminology they can understand.