Win 2 Tickets for Deck the Hall at the San Francisco Symphony!

Yes, even reindeer! Photo by the SF Symphony

Drum roll and get your musical ears please. I am happy to announce that one lucky Frog Mom reader will win 2 tickets to attend Deck the Hall on Sunday December 4, 2011! If you have never been, Deck the Hall is one of the most beloved holiday traditions of the San Francisco Symphony and an amazing experience for families. After an hour-long show that blends music, dance and stage performances, kids and adults alike mingle in the lobby where craft tables, cookies and refreshments await them. Kids can even get to meet favorite holiday characters!

Crafts. Photo by SF Symphony

The first time we took our girls to Deck the Hall, they were respectively 1 and 3 years old. Though the 1 year old clearly didn't get to participate much, she kept silent during the music part and clapped with me at the end. My 3 year old, on the other hand, was in awe. All these kids dressed to the nines, the festive atmosphere, the tall decorated trees in the lobby, the cool crafts after the concert - she didn't want to leave, ever.

That year we enjoyed a particularly charming reading of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" with puppets and we cracked up at the holiday songs by the Beach Blanket Babylon cast - ah, the dancing Christmas trees! It was my kids' first "classical music" experience and a fun one to boot. As you can guess, I loved it.

Very high five. Photo by SF Symphony

Now it's my pleasure to be able to offer this amazing experience to my readers. I'll add that the show sells out every year so these tickets that I got are extra precious tickets. Plus, they're upper orchestra tickets (value $72), a fantastic seating section where kids can enjoy the show fully right in front of the orchestra and stage.

How do you win?
Share your favorite holiday music in the comments below this post and "Like" the Facebook page of the San Francisco Symphony. Please do not comment anonymously otherwise I'll never be able to contact you. Elementary, my dear Watson. Tell your friends and get them to participate - if they comment on Frog Mom giving your name, you double your chances!

Deadline: Sunday November 27, 2011, 11.59pm PST.

I'll pick a winner using a random system on Monday November 28, 2011, giving the lucky person just enough time to plan for a incredible Sunday December 4th with their special little person. Keep a weather eye on the Frog Mom Facebook Page as it's where I'll announce the winner on Monday morning.

Good luck everyone and for the record, my favorite holiday song is "White Christmas" with a glass of champagne!

Winners of the book giveaway: Best Hikes with Kids: San Francisco Bay Area

Frog Mom never, ever, hikes without chocolate. Photo by C.G.

Last month I wrote a post on my hiking guidebook for families Best Hikes with Kids: San Francisco Bay Area. In that post, I encouraged people to comment and talk about their favorite Bay Area trails with kids. In the meantime my book got a review in Bay Nature magazine, a blurb on Daily Candy, was part of a contest on SFKids and soon you should hear me on KQED give my Perspective on creepy crawlers. Seriously!

Now I've selected the 2 winners via randompicker.org and I would love to announce them today. Drum roll. The winners of my contest are ... Ammo and Nicole!!! These two lucky winners will receive by mail an autographed copy of my book - sorry I can't draw even when I try hard - and a bar of high quality completely delicious dark chocolate to motivate them to go hiking! That's because I've now included "dark chocolate, bittersweet please" in my list of must-haves for hikes. No less.

Now you may be curious, what Bay Area trails did people share that they like so much? Here is what parents had to say on Frog Mom:

• So far, my favorite place to hike with little ones has been the Zinfandel Trail at Picchetti Ranch in Cupertino. The trail is very short and leads to a pond with tiny frogs. 
• Our favorite hike is what we call "the ridge" and it is our favorite place to hike and walk the dog, in fact we go several times a week. You can hike for hours or just a quick 1/2 hr if that is all time allows. The kid highlights are: great views of the bay, grazing cattle, ponds in the spring (with frogs in various life cycle stages), lots of different routes and lots of exploring. The hike is actually part of Wildcat Canyon and the trail we call "the ridge" is actually off the belgum and san pablo ridge trail. Here is the link. 
• Bernal Hill was our first "hiking excursion" and we're branching out.
• My favorite bay area hike is in the Presidio.
• My husband and I have different favorite hikes with our 3 year old. I love hiking up over the beach/cliffs at Marin Headlands. My hubby takes our son to the Mary Bowerman Trail at the summit of Mt Diablo almost every weekend (I'm expecting so not hiking so much right now!)
• My girlfriends and I hike weekly with our kiddos - usually at our favorite Wunderlich - shade from Redwoods and Eucalyptus keep the moms happy and the awesome burned out old growth Redwood tree is always a win with the kids.

Obviously if you don't have my book yet, you should get yourself a copy right now. According to my husband, it almost reads like a mystery novel. Yes, it's that thrilling, take it from a reliable source. Aw, ok, it's not quite The Game of Thrones but it'll help you get fitter and the kids will become total creatures of the trails. How's that for thrilling?

Thanks so much for participating and stay tuned for more Frog Mom fun!

Richard Louv Book Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to my two winners, selected through a random drawing in a hat by my 6-year old with her eyes shut! They each get a copy of Richard Louv's book The Nature Principle.

Mia of Oakland shared her favorite nature memory on the Frog Mom Facebook Page: "Now that the question has been asked, the memories keep flooding in ... jumping on haystacks in my jammies; building a fort on the side of the barn and threatening to run away from home if my sister and i were not allowed to spend the night in it; making perfumes and potions from flowers, berries and herbs harvested from around us; our pet turtles and hedgehogs; playing hide & seek with the wild rabbits that suddenly multiplied from the few our neighbors asked for permission to release from their pens; tossing rotten persimmons at the side of the barn when i was supposed to be collecting them and composting them before the bees found them; and the mindblowing taste of hazelnut cake made from nuts we helped to harvest and raspberry gelato that was almost worth all the scratches from the thorns!"

Susan of Improv-a-mama shared her favorite nature memory in a comment on Frog Mom directly: "Complete rich sense memory of standing on the beach (Long Beach on Long Island) watching the sunset the last time before we moved. I was 9 and I can feel what it was like to stand there watching the sky change and the seagulls fly and the first star appear. I loved the beach and missed it so much when we moved inland." Susan, I still need your mailing information!

Congratulations to them two and thank you for all the awesome nature memories. From A Little Yumminess' Malaysian beach memories to Evan's camp in Colorado, Autumn's creek and crawdad adventure in Sonoma, Amy's hilarious first case of unintentional poison oak, Outdoor Adventurer's exploring days at Vasquez Rocks, Exploring Portland's Nature Area's furtive deer encounter in the dark, and Provocations for Early Childhood Education's memory of jumping in fresh haystacks in the evening in her nightgown, they made my day. So varied and so unique!

Thanks to you all!

Frog Mom nominated for the Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Awards!

After the incredible show of support I received for the Circle of Moms Best Bay Area Mom Blog contest, Frog Mom has been nominated for the Most Awesome Parenting category in the Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Awards! I'm truly honored because without you guys, I wouldn't have made it in the Top 10 of the Circle of Moms contest. Really? Yes, really. It was a Top 25 contest and I finished #9 so I can fairly say I was in the Top 10. Yoohoo! Last year, Frog Mom was selected by The Red Tricycle team as a part of the Bay Area Top Mom (and Dad) Blogs. Now I'm on this new contest and you readers get to vote for your favorite blog. It's your turn to express yourself!

For The Red Tricycle contest, nominations close on September 9, after which the real voting begins. The top blogs with the most nominations will become a finalist, with one going on to become the Winner on October 17, 2011.

The best news is, there's something for you in it too - not only is The Red Tricycle a really cool site (check it out here) but they are pretty good at convincing partners and sponsors. By entering the awards, you get a chance to win some fab prizes including the Grand Prize: a $500 Gift Certificate to Giggle, 1st Prize: A Flip Video Camera (value $300) and 2nd Prize: A Large Organic Plush Winnie-the-Pooh (value $110).

This is how it works - easy does it.

 1. Click on this link to nominate Frog Mom - the nomination requires an email sign-up. Every nomination counts! Think of it as the county fair secret vote for the best apple pie. You guys are the jury. You do need to vote and not assume your neighbor already did even if you share the same views in how much cinnamon is not enough or what variety of apple works best. Because hey, maybe your neighbor assumed you already voted too! Honest, my apple pie needs every one of you.

 2. Send an email to your entire mailing list asking them to nominate Frog Mom. Don’t forget this link: http://www.redtri.com/awards/online/parenting-blogs/ !

 3.Post this on your Facebook page and Twitter : “Nominate Frog Mom for Red Tricycle’s Totally Awesome Awards” . Add sparklies and jingly bells if you can - I can't, my computer skills are limited.

4. Tell your friends at school, on the playground and at the office. OK, at the dentist's too. Tell your cousins, why not? Hopefully you have a large family and if you don't, tons of neighbors will do.

Now I'll go back to my daily routine because I'm preparing a road trip (first AirBnB experience, daring!) and backpacking extravaganza in the Eastern Sierras and I'll have tons to share when I return. You be busy bees in the meantime.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Book Giveaway: The Nature Principle

It's time for my first giveaway on Frog Mom, the first of a new era! After the great feedback I got on my Conversations with Richard Louv on Children and Nature, I contacted the editor of the book and I was lucky to get 2 copies of The Nature Principle to give away to my readers. Yay for Algonquin Books!

To win this great book, simply leave a comment on this post on the following topic: what is your favorite nature memory as a child?

You can increase your chances by leaving a comment on my Frog Mom Facebook Page (don't forget to like it too!) and encourage your friends to participate. If they say you sent them, you increase your chances again. That's like, the over-the-top increase!

I will randomly pick a winner from the comments left by Sunday, August 28 at 10pm Pacific Standard Time. I'll announce the winner in my post on Tuesday the 30th.

OK, no one likes to take the first dance so I'll start. I was about 8. We lived in New Caledonia and my family flew for the weekend to a small island called Ouvéa. We stayed in beach bungalows with roofs of woven coconut leaves. Well, just before dinner one night I was swimming in the lagoon and found a purple seashell buried in the sand. I couldn't believe how smooth it was, how shiny it looked in the setting sun. So withdrawn in my daydreaming I didn't see a wave coming and ... away floated the seashell. It quickly sank. I poked around in the sea until it was dark but never found it. It's my favorite nature memory as a child because all my senses were wide awake on that evening. The warm temperature of the sea, the rainbow colors of sunset, the lulling sound of crashing waves, the salty taste of the lagoon and the smell of the dinner's barbecue ashore. It was a full on sensory experience and I still remember it fondly. That purple seashell found a better home than my bookshelves.

Now, what's your favorite nature memory as a child? It may seem obvious but don't comment anonymously - I won't be able to contact you and announce the winner. Good luck to you all!