Cooking with kids can be: chaotic, stressful, and fun! Check out these tips for working with your child (either toddler or older), guiding them gain skills in the kitchen, and recipes you can supervise for Thanksgiving meal planning! SRMC Thanksgiving with Kids Recipes.pdf

TIPS 

Choose small, bite-sized tasks

Helping out during meal prep is a great opportunity to practice things that they love to do: scooping, counting, mixing, getting a little messy, being silly, and cutting into the tiniest little pieces. Don't sweat the small stuff, it will get messy, it will be chaotic, but it will be done together!

Use age-appropriate tools  ‍

We use child-sized wooden knives and cutting boards, especially when they were little (toddler, preschooler), and now graduating to less-sharp real knives with focused supervision by an adult for older ages (kindergartener and up). My kids love cutting up different fruits, vegetables and cheeses (remember: the tiniest little pieces!). Toddler-appropriate plastic knives also work, and some examples of wooden knives for toddlers and up on Etsy here here and here.

Make it a dance party!  

Put on a fun play list, maybe even themed, and have some fun! It might be 10 minutes or an hour (which we sometimes, mostly, don't have) - these dance parties are the pictures that I look back on and smile! Build your own, or find on a streaming service. I use these playlists through a kids cooking subscription box (the playlists are free on Spotify), but who's to say I don't put on some Whitney Houston, The Bangles, Cyndi Lauper (oops, am I aging myself?) to shake it up!

Find recipes that work for you, modify so kids can cook too  ‍ ‍

Check out the recipes below that are modified so kids can help in some or all of the process - modify for your needs and tastebuds!

RECIPES

A collection of recipes just in time for Thanksgiving meal planning: a Turkey Cheeseball (made out of cream cheese, veggies, and crackers or nuts), Jam-Filled Hand Pies (store-bought or homemade options, can pivot to savory too), and Mashed Butternut Squash (fun to mash! either plain or turn into a caramelized casserole). See the printable recipes (pdf), below. 

SRMC Thanksgiving with Kids Recipes.pdf

Notes for kid involvement:

For the cheeseballs, kids can take turns mixing up the ingredients, smashing the crackers, older kids can cut up the veggies, and all of them can roll the balls around. Give each kid a ball and see what creations they make!

For the hand pies, use store-bought ingredients or make your own (pie crust, jams or fillings). Even younger kids can roll out pie dough (with a little added effort on your end), and they love using a pizza rolling cutter to cut into the necessary strips. Be sure to crimp the sides closed all around and add in those air vents, either way, they'll be delicious!

For the mashed butternut squash, adults please cut the squash, but kids can scoop and mash and add ingredients to mix around. Add or change seasonings to your taste, and the optional step to melt some cheese or caramelize gives it just a little bit more...more!

Enjoy, have fun...and be sure to always supervise!

*Updated. Thank you Pauline, Sylvia, Joanne, and Lily for your inputs!!!

I grew up in Canton in the southern part of China. When I immigrated to San Francisco, there were a lot of Chinese resources. I have lived in various major cities in both Northern and Southern California where there are always a lot of Chinese resources. When I moved to Santa Rosa, I found those resources lacking. I have managed to find the few that work for me. Hopefully this helps you.

The Redwood Empire Chinese Association is a good start. They typically have pot luck for mid-autumn festival, Chinese new year, and a Christmas party. They have a youth lion dance program, and adults choir and tai-chi program. I don't think their Chinese school is going right now.

https://www.recacenter.org/

Groceries:

Asia Mart on 2481 Guerneville Road is a decent store for most needs. They have a fairly good freezer section.

Asian Market on 1110 Petaluma Hill Rd Ste 1 is smaller but good enough to get the much needed sauces. The tamales store next door is very good and sells out early in the day.

Phnom-Pehn Oriental Grocery on 923 Petaluma Hill Rd. It is behind Santa Rosa Seafood so if you need wasabi after buying that raw salmon, you can just walk over.

Asian Food Market on 3080 Marlow Rd Ste A13. It has a meat counter and fish. You can pick a fish from the seafood counter and ask them to fry it for you just like ranch 99/big Asian markets. Joanne's parents like the pompano, which is kind of meaty and dense. They dip in soy sauce with chili sauce in it.

Weee! delivers to Santa Rosa! https://www.sayweee.com/en/onboarding

Farm:

I have been getting my Asian veggies from Radical Family Farms located in Sebastopol. They offer a community-supported agriculture (CSA) subscription that can be picked up on the farm on Fridays or Saturdays. They also have a booth at the Sebastopol Farmers Market on Sundays, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm at Sebastopol Plaza located at Petaluma Ave x Highway 12.

https://www.radicalfamilyfarms.com/

Food:

Don't bother. Just drive to San Francisco.

I conceded that Hang Ah Dim Sum at 2130 Armory Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 is the best in Santa Rosa. I personally wouldn't eat their dim sum unless I am literally dying of hunger and can't drive to San Francisco.

Fantasy at 1520 E Washington St, Petaluma, CA 94954 has decent Cantonese dishes and does a good hotpot. 

Food Deliveries:

Lee's Dim Sum is very close to the real deal.

https://leesdimsum.com/

For Taiwanese food, these guys deliver to Santa Rosa:

https://canaancater.com/

Boiling Point Hot Pot now delivers to Santa Rosa:

https://bpmarket.bpgroupusa.com/food-mart

Cooking:

Because I am unable to find any acceptable Cantonese food in Santa Rosa that tasted like home, I have been making my own. I use these guys a lot. I have had lots of success with Made With Lau. 

https://www.madewithlau.com/

https://thewoksoflife.com/

https://www.justonecookbook.com/

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/

https://www.maangchi.com/

Hey Mamas!

With Fall upon on us, SRMC wanted to share some of our favorite family friendly recipes using either your trusty Crockpot or Instapot! Perfect for working moms, stay at home moms or any family member to make! Just shop ahead of time and put it in the "pot" 

1. Tortilla Soup
2. Chicken Stroganoff
   
3. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos *freezer friendly
4. Salsa Verde Chicken
   
5. Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy and Miso
   
6. Pork Tacos with Hoisin and Ginger
   
7. Umami Chili

Enjoy!

Tips for being a greener mommy! Choose one or a few to do and celebrate what you're already doing. 

1. Avoid “ green guilt” – every small action is better than no action at all.

2. Birthdays, Holidays – ask for & give “experience” gifts: ie, kid’s museum membership, ice cream & park outing, swim lessons, cookie ingredients in a jar with instructions,  Highlights magazine subscription, trip to the bookstore to pick out new books, parks pass, farm stay, musical instrument & lesson, flower or herb seeds to plant a garden, miniature golf adventure, children’s theater passes, camping gear for a weekend getaway, donation to future college fund, “adopt” a wild animal with WWF symbolic species adoptions, Train town day, zoo membership, Skunk train tickets, to name a few.

3. Use your Green Waste can – So easy to do and it diverts space from our landfills and gets made into landscape and garden soil.

4. Reusable water bottle – ditch plastic water bottles when you can

5. Buy local produce when possible – Imwalle Farms has a year-round store with lots of produce some of which they grow; farmer’s markets, veggie subscription boxes, Oliver’s carries local produce

6. Secondhand clothes & toys for your kids– SRMC clothing swaps, hand-me-downs, thrift stores, FB marketplace. Bypass fast fashion and manufacturing waste when you shop secondhand for clothes that your child will only be wearing for a short time.

7. Environmentally friendly cleaning products – most work *almost* as well as their more toxic counterparts and you don’t have to worry about your kids or pets getting exposed to any harsh chemicals.

8. Hang dry a load of laundry every so often – utilize the latest solar technology with a clothesline or indoor drying rack

9. Organic food – good for the farm workers and their families and good for you and your family

10. Minimize single use items – try to use something at least twice before it goes in the garbage

11. Reusable shopping bags – keep them in the car and by the door; sad fact: flimsy plastic bags rarely get recycled and most get sent overseas to other countries with laxer environmental standards to deal with.

12. Save water – stop showering, just kidding! But consider dumping left over water on your plants instead of down the drain and other ways to minimize your water usage. We’re in a drought peeps!

13. Get out into nature – stress levels go down when we look at beautiful vistas and breathe oxygen-rich air while reminding us of other species who share our precious planet.

14. Buy less – kids are amazing innovators and don’t need tons of toys to be entertained

15. Fix/repair/sew – sometimes it’s possible to save a toy or slightly ripped shirt from going into the landfill with just a little bit of repairing. I have a “mend” pile for those rare nights when I want to watch TV and sew.

Our quick selection of super helpful parenting sites:

• When you want to find local events, classes or general advice for child rearing:  https://www.sonomafamilylife.com   

• When you have no clue if a book/tv show/movie, etc is appropriate for your kids’ age:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

• When you want extra support via an in-person class, or general parenting help:

https://calparents.org/

• All sorts of inspiration, learning/development and other helpful tips and tricks.

https://www.parent.com/ 

• This one starts with tips for before you're even pregnant, right through toddler-hood: 

https://www.babycenter.com/

• Songs and music videos to entertain both children and adults: 

https://www.thesophistikids.com/

• Connects expectant and new parents to high-quality classes and on-demand expert care providers (like lactation consultants, doulas, mental health therapists, and more):

https://getboober.com/

• Just need a good laugh, equal parts therapy and hilarity:

http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/

And of course we have a thriving local Facebook Community of Mom groups right here in Sonoma County - reach out if you need help finding or connecting with any of them! 

Calling All SRMC business owners 

We love our members and want to support each other when we can.

If you're a SRMC member feel free to tell the group about your business in the comments 

* You or an immediate family member must own the business in order to post 

* Please limit yourself to one post, regardless of how many businesses you want to promote

Kids' Face Mask

Getting your young child to wear a face mask is enough of a challenge.  Weeding through the infinite options out there is another obstacle.  We all want the best for our kids.

SRMC's Jillian Joss posted this suggestion in our FB group that has worked very well for my 3 year old.  

POSH KIDS KF94 Small

• It fits her face well, completely enclosing her mouth and nose
• There is an adjustable nose wire
• It's rated KF95
• It's marketed as "disposable" but we rotate masks to maximize.  It's cheap enough that if we forget it somewhere, it's not the end of the world (think Vogmask at $30 each).

Always look for a coupon or wait for one (I found a 30% off).

We also use the ear savers, "Elastic Adjuster Silicone Cord Stopper," that Jillian recommended.  There's a way to pop out the elastic on the mask, but this is much simpler to use.  The ear savers are ubiquitous and can be found on amazon.  I used this vendor but there are other similar options.

Berkeley's Tilden Park

Little Farm, Nature Center, Steam Trainx2 & Carousel

A little more than an hour over in the East Bay, Berkeley's Tilden Park is a wonderful day trip.  This was a big hit for kids and adults.  The Little Farm is a working farm with cows, goats, bunnies, chickens and more.  Bring celery or lettuce to feed the hungry cows.  Admission for this area is Free.

                                                                     

Not too far away there's also an Environmental Education Center with permanent nature displays, family walks, and craft workshops.  There's also an enclosed playground and picnic benches for lunch.

 

Nearby Jewel Lake is an easy loop to work off lunch.  Great for toddlers but not stroller friendly.  All these attractions are together at one stop.  There is a parking lot and flush toilets at the EEC.

Another big stop at Tilden is the Steam Trains.  Saturday and Sundays, 11A-5/6p.  Rides are affordable and if you go on a Sunday, 12p-3p the local steam train enthusiasts Golden Gate Live Steamers also run their hobby trains nearby, so 2 train opportunities.  Tickets for adults and children are $3.50 (children under 2 years old ride free). A five-ride ticket costs $14. 

Lastly, if there is still energy to continue, Tilden also offers Merry Go Round rides with a cafe.  Open Fri, Sat and Sun, 11A-5P.  Tickets are $4/ride or $22/7.