Mendo Lake Family Life September 2015

mendo lake FREE!

September August 2015

Local Heroes Fire unites community

E-cig Danger

Protect your kids

Autism & Health Find the best care ADD Aid The exercise cure

91st Annual

Mendocino County Fair &

Apple Show

September 18-20 9 am to Midnight Daily

Tastings!

California Cider Competition Grand Tasting!

Saturday, Sept 19, 1-5 • Sunday, Sept 20, 12-4 • Taste over 50 varieties of Apples-FREE • Taste Local Sweet Ciders-FREE • Taste Award-winning Hard Ciders

PLUS enjoy: the California Wool and Fiber Festival, Good Food, Fun Rides, Soccer, Football, Rodeo, Sheepdog Trials, Parade, Winetasting, Music, 4-H and FFA 707-205-1538 CaliforniaCiderCompetition.com

Boonville Fairgrounds, 14400 Hwy 128, Boonville, CA 707-895-3011 • www.mendocountyfair.com

Same Family New Home

In 1928 the Willits community had a dream of building a hospital to care for the community. Today that same vision has become a reality as we prepare to open the new Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital.

You're Invited to a It Starts with Great People

The Art of Healing

State-of-the-Art Operating Room

New Technology

Roots Restaurant

Private Rooms

Grand Open House Sunday, September 13, 2015 1 PM - 4 PM Grand Open House Event 1:30 PM Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony One Marcela Drive Willits CA 95490

Spacious Emergency Room

Convenient Helipad

Gift Shop

September 2015

Every Issue

8 Features 8 Trial by Fire Local heroes come to the aid of Rocky Fire evacuees.

6

Dear Reader

7

Bits and Pieces Taste California’s Best Ciders— Apples, Too! Lumberjack Powers—Activate!

Eat Some Heat

7

22 Calendar of Events Fresh Air, Fresh Art

10 Wrinkly, Wise & Fun! Creative ways for grandparents to connect with little ones.

12 It’s All A-OK

28 Willits Welcomes New Hospital

29 Celebrate Native Peoples 30 Humor Break

The joys and challenges of raising a deaf child.

14 The ADD Exercise Cure How working up a sweat can lead to academic success.

16 Exceptional Gifts How to buy an appropriate present for a child with disabilities.

14

18 Piecing the Puzzle Together Meeting the health-care needs of kids with autism.

20 Lighting Up How to protect your child from e-cigs.

4 MendoLakeFamilyLife

10

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

HILLSIDE HEALTH CENTER MEDICAL CARE DENTAL SERVICES BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WOMEN’S HEALTH Care for Her 333 Laws Avenue Ukiah, CA

(707) 468-1010 Read more about Dr. Dixon’s story at www.mchcinc.org

No one is turned away because they can’t pay.

WE ACCEPT Medicare, Medi-Cal, Partnership and other insurance.

Our financial counselors are here to help.

Looking for a Pediatrician who loves taking care of children?

She’s here!

Introducing Dr. Danielle Dixon, who joined the MCHC team because she feels her background, training, and experience put her in a unique position to relate to those who have struggled with racial prejudice and poverty. As an African American woman, she understands what it is to be in the minority, and is dedicated to being an example of how hard work and pursuing your dreams can help people overcome life’s challenges.

Most of all, she loves taking care of children, and giving them a healthy start.

Call (707) 468-1010 for an appointment.

She’s here to help you.

Dear Reader

W

September 18–20. The kids will love trying out more than 50 varieties of apples while you sample California’s best hard ciders at the California Cider Competition’s Grand Tasting September 19–20. (See pages 2 and 8 for details.)

elcome to our Special Needs issue, which is dedicated to parents of kids who are differently abled.

Sharon Gowan “It’s All A-OK” (page Publisher/Editor Sharon@family-life.us 12) reflects on the ups and downs of raising a deaf teen while “Piecing the Puzzle Together” (page 18) offers concrete advice on finding excellent health care for a child with autism. Meanwhile, “The ADD Exercise Cure” (page 14) points to a drug-free remedy for kids with attention issues—physical play.

Office Manager Patricia Ramos patty@family-life.us

Bring Grandma and Grandpa to the fair, too. (Psst: September 13 is Grandparents Day.) And read “Wrinkly, Wise & Fun!” (page 10) for other unique ways they can make memories with their grandchildren.

Business Marketing Renee Nutcher renee@family-life.us Jolie Cook jolie@family-life.us Marie Anderson marie@family-life.us

Happy September! May your autumn days be filled with delight.

Features Editor

Speaking of play, if you are searching for family fun this month, look no further than the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show at the Mendocino Fairgrounds in Boonville

Melissa Chianta melissa@family-life.us

Production Manager Donna Bogener production@family-life.us

Calendar Patricia Ramos

Contributing Writers

Get Paid while earning your Teaching Credential!

Visit our website for job opportunities

Holly Hester Carolyn Jabs Malia Jacobson Kerrie McLoughlin Lucy Jo Palladino Leslie Phillips Lynn Pribus

Billing

Do you currently have a BA degree?

Jan Wasson-Smith

If so, contact us to find out more about becoming a teacher

Publishing Office 134 Lystra Court, Suite A Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Make a positive difference with kids Great benefits package

Tel (707) 586-9562 Fax (707) 586-9571

Discover more about how we are elevating student learning at www.konoctiusd.org

707-994-6475 6 MendoLakeFamilyLife

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Bits & Pieces

Taste California’s Best Ciders— Apples, Too!

T

he North Bay is apple country. And one of the fruit’s more adult delights is hard cider. Some of the best ciders will vie for your taste buds’ favor at the one and only California Cider Competition, part of the Apple Show at the Mendocino County Fair. Taste flights and cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award on September 19, 1–5 p.m., and 20, noon–4 p.m. (Flights are $6–$7 in addition to fair admission, which is $6–$9, under 6 free.) Cider producers will be on hand to consult about apples and cider-making. You also can sample more than 50 different varieties of apples at the Apple Show.

For more information about the cider tasting, see californiacidercompetition. com. To find out more about the Mendocino County Fair, September 18­–20, see mendocountyfair.com. ¶

Eat Some Heat

Lumberjack Powers—Activate!

P

ut on your best plaid shirt and some dungarees and head off to Paul Bunyan Days, September 4–7, in Fort Bragg. The event features a slew of family-oriented activities, including a barbecue and fish fry, bird walk, gem and mineral show, horseshoe tournament, craft fair, classic car show, old-fashioned dress review and, just for kids, a parade, games, and tricycle race. Most of the activities are free or almost free, so everyone can come. See paulbunyandays.com to find out more information, including venues and times for each event. ¶

R

eady your spoon for gallons of tasty grub at Granite Construction’s 17th Annual Chili Cook-off in the Alex Thomas Plaza in Ukiah on September 11, 6 p.m.–10 p.m. Taste various mixtures of tomatoes, beans, and meat, and then vote for your favorite. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs so you can sit back, enjoy a glass of wine or beer (for sale onsite), and listen to live music or just people-watch.

Bouncy houses and slides will keep kids entertained. Last year the event pulled in $25,000— more than double the amount of the previous year—for the Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah. Tickets are $10, $5 ages 6–11. The event is free for ages 5 and under. Call 467-4900 for more information. ¶ www.mendolakefamilylife.com

September 2015

MendoLakeFamilyLife 7

Trial

by Fire

O

Blaze Brings Together Community

n July 29, the sky above Lake County began to fill with billowing plumes of smoke. The Rocky Fire had begun and, over the next two weeks, would force thousands from their

homes. Fortunately, neighbors and the Red Cross

were there to lend a helping hand.

As the blaze burned through miles of land, and smaller fires flamed around it, the Red Cross set up its main shelter at Middletown High School in Middletown.

One of the 89 people to visit it was Lower Lake resident Christalene Loren. The 71-year-old sculptor and homesteader was evacuated not once but twice, first during the Rocky Fire and then a second time during the Jerusalem Fire.

Loren had just brought her 23 rare San Clemente goats home from the Rocky Fire evacuation, when the Jerusalem Fire began to brew and a mandatory evacuation notice was issued.

8 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Through Facebook and phone calls, she asked friends to help her find a temporary home for her goats. Then she set to work stuffing her broken-down Subaru with the essentials of her life: eight chickens, two dogs, two cats, two computers and hard drives, and two raven feathers, to remind her of the birds that frequent her land.

With night and the fire approaching, and still no place to put the goats, she made the heartwrenching decision to set them free, save for an elder buck she tied by the horns to her driver’s side mirror and a kid she put into the car along with the other animals.

Just as she pulled out of her driveway, a friend arrived with a trailer—her goats would have a home, after all. After getting the San Clementes settled at their new abode, she drove to the Middletown shelter at midnight, famished and exhausted. One of the only people there, she was lavished with attention by local volunteers who fed her sandwiches and chocolate cake, and then set her up in a cot while her chickens, dogs, and cats slept in crates nearby.

“I was treated like royalty,” she writes in her blog (psikeep.wordpress.com).

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Photo: Christalene Loren

The Rocky Fire darkened skies in Lower Lake.

Rested, the following day she went to a friend’s 20-acre farm, where she spent the next five days butchering chickens and picking crops until she could safely return home.

Like Loren, more people found safety at friends’ homes than at the shelter, says

“The community relationship with Cal Fire went extremely well.”

—Mike Wilson, Cal Fire Division Chief

Debbie Yee, Disaster Program Manager for Solano, Napa, and Lake Counties, American Red Cross, northern California coastal region.

“That’s pretty typical with most fires,” she notes. “We [have] found often times people prefer staying with family and friends.”

Tabetha Atwood was eager to be such a welcoming friend—especially to her four-legged neighbors. The local dog bakery owner and mom donated pet food to Lake County’s Animal Care and Control Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection program (LEAP), and personally reunited 12 lost dogs with their owners.

And she didn’t stop there. She and her husband, Charles, closed one of their two stores for three weeks so that they could make beds, cook meals, and brighten spirits at the Moose Lodge, where people had come to wait out the Rocky Fire.

“We were just trying be there for our community—our friends, our neighbors, people who our kids go to school with,” she says. www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Unfortunately, as the blaze progressed, a mandatory evacuation notice was issued to the lodge. When it was not honored, Cal Fire was displeased.

“It would have created chaos had that fire come through and those people had not been pre-evacuated,” says Cal Fire Public Information Officer Suzanne Blankenship.

In general, however, “The community relationship with Cal Fire went extremely well,” says Mike Wilson, Cal Fire Division Chief. Most people honored evacuation notices, and that went a long way to keeping the community and the more than 3,000 Bay Area fire personnel working the wildfire safe, he says.

Local residents expressed their appreciation to firefighters through numerous banners and signs while area businesses provided free or discounted food to those fighting the conflagration.

Meanwhile, local banks set up accounts for financial donations for fire victims.

Windshields

$

Starting at

99

Even with generous monetary support, however, there were some losses that couldn’t be replaced.

Just ask Loren, whose dog Voice died during the evacuation. The animal’s death, not to mention the entire evacuation process, left Loren so depleted she could barely talk. Despite the hardship, though, the sculptor remains positive and focused on what she learned.

“This experience has taught me that I need to better organize my possessions—and get focused on an art project,” she says.

What did Lake County learn? Perhaps that, with the help of the Red Cross and friendly neighbors, it can handle anything. ¶

Price Less Auto Glass

Our mobile unit comes to you

plus installation

Chip Repair

$

39

95

September 2015

707-463-1638

2350 North State St. Ukiah Same location as Warranty Motors

MendoLakeFamilyLife 9

3

Have a beauty day. A simple session of nail painting can be very relaxing and the perfect time for a girl-to-girl chat. My girls love it when Grandma Mac brushes their hair because she is so patient and gentle, and talks to them so lovingly while doing it.

4

Do an activity that interests your grandchild.

For instance, if you have a granddaughter who loves ballet, take her to see The Nutcracker. If your grandson loves trains, take him on a train ride.

Wrinkly, Wise & Fun! 12 Traditions for Grandparents

By Kerrie McLoughlin

G

randparents, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important you are to your grandchildren. You are so much more than an occasional babysitter. You teach without it even seeming like you are, and your wisdom is soaked up better than any lecture from a parent. You may not realize just how profoundly you affect your grandchildren. To keep your connection with them alive, try these 12 activities. Most of them are pretty adaptable so you can continue them as your grandchildren grow.

1

Explore your “stuff” with them. Take the kids on a tour of your attic and basement, and point out special knick-knacks—baseball cards, music, books, photos, autographs, toys, and journals. Kids will learn so much about you and history by looking through your things.

10 MendoLakeFamilyLife

5

Snuggle up and read some stories. Make up tales; write them down in a notebook and illustrate them, too. Tell them what your child (their parent) was like at their age. Be sure to include stories about some of the messes Mom or Dad got into. My parents love to tell my kids how I once used a poison ivy leaf as a powder puff—and paid the price!

6

Send them letters. You can write one when each grandchild is born, sharing your feelings about the birth and hopes for the future. Use a letter to mark milestones or to wrap up the year. Trust me, your words will be cherished.

7

Teach a skill. Do you crochet, build furniture, paint, cook the

2

Go fishing. Boys and girls alike are always up for a short bout of fishing, either on a boat, off a dock, or in a nearby pond. Teach them how to bait hooks and cast, and then watch their faces light up when they actually catch fish. And if they don’t…use the time to find out what’s on their minds.

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Sonoma County Airport

9

Go on a nature walk. Or take a trip to a nearby park, zoo, or nature center. If you aren’t physically fit, now is a great time to get that way by going on short nature hikes with the kids or pushing them on the merry-go-round. Try the Environmental Discovery Center at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa or Jug Handle Creek Farm and Nature Center in Caspar.

12

Show up. Attend as many sports, Scouts, dance, and other events as you can. This can be difficult if you have many grandchildren involved in myriad activities, so just do your best. Your presence is definitely looked forward to and appreciated. ¶

Aircraft; Helicopters

Discover Scenic Tours Aircraft; Helicopters; Balloons; Historic Aircraft

www.sonomacountyairport.org 707.565.7240 Follow STS on

home?

Space in your

Play a game, throw a ball. You can play something your grandchild wants to play, like Candyland, or tackle something you want to teach, like checkers, chess, or gin rummy.

heart?

Room in your

Become a foster or adoptive parent and help change the life of a child (707) 463-1100

Go on a trip together. It’s a terrific learning opportunity,

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Experience Flight Training

Kerrie McLoughlin (thekerrieshow. com) and her five kids feel blessed to have six grandparents living close by.

10 11

Los Angeles; Portland; San Diego; Seattle

TS

8

Make something together.

The possibilities are endless: bake cookies; start a textile, wood, or other kind of craft project; plant a tree or a pot of wildflowers. My husband’s grandma made wooden stick horses for all of her grandchildren. Now my kids play with them…40 years later.

Travel on Nonstop Flights to/from

©P N

best chicken noodle soup in the state?

Could you teach your grandchild how to start a budget, care for cows, or grow blackberries? My kids got interested in rocks when my mom gave them some quartz crystal chunks.

and you’ll make some special memories along the way. It doesn’t need to be lengthy or costly. A day trip to a neat landmark or a cool activity will do the trick! The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, or the San Francisco Zoo are fine places to start.

Also, see sonomafamilylife.com for two articles, “Over the River and through the Woods,” which outlines a day-trip extraordinaire (tinyurl. com/q32uw4g), and “Brunch to Beach,” which tells you where to find tasty eats near sand and surf (tinyurl.com/q32uw4g).

www.tlc4kids.org Working with children since 1975

September 2015

MendoLakeFamilyLife 11

It’s All A-OK

such things even when she was little.

I’m the one who wants to believe that there really are charms and incantations that will protect her from the world’s perils. I let her step out of the circle without comment.

Inside, a smile spread across her face as she examined herself in the mirror. When she turned to me, she said simply, “Mom, I didn’t know you were so cool.”

Reflections on Raising a Teen Deaf Girl

My first reaction was a “Yes!” of triumph from the 13-year-old girl still living deep inside me. That girl used

By Carolyn Jabs

T

oday is Crazy Hat and Hair Day at our middle school. This is a big deal for my daughter. At 13, she’s become self-conscious about things that never bothered her before. She’s angry about being deaf, something that’s been true since she was born.

She’s exasperated by blemishes, which became a problem only a few months ago. And she’s unhappy about her voluminous, naturally curly hair, which her peers have called crazy when it wasn’t Crazy Hair Day. Last night, we conferred. My daughter instantly rejected my idea that she liberate her hair for a day, and let it follow its wildest inclinations. Instead, she asked me to braid a skinny strand so it could be wrapped in red, white, and blue thread. When I finished, the wrapped braid, complete with a moon charm, flopped over her forehead and hit her in the nose, but she seemed satisfied.

This morning, when I went to wake her, she was already standing in front of her mirror scrutinizing her visor, which was festooned with decorative buttons.

12 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Her hair was slicked back into its customary ponytail, but the wrapped braid hung over the top of the visor at a jaunty angle.

I offered to put glitter into her hair, and she said, “Sure,” the most rousing endorsement I’ve been able to get from her lately. We headed outdoors.

I made her hair gooey with gel and then sprinkled her with all the glitter in the craft box—blue, silver, gold. A sparkling ring formed on the driveway around her feet. For a moment, I was tempted to tell her it was magic, but my sensible daughter was skeptical about

Like all families in which the parents hear and a child doesn’t, my husband and I have had to make challenging decisions about what’s best for our daughter. to study the popular kids in the class wondering how they achieved cool without apparent effort. Now it turns out what I suspected all along was true.

The secret to middle school success is glitter—the surface shimmer and flash that has almost nothing to do with durable happiness. Even knowing how little it matters in the long run, I can’t help feeling pleased that I’ve finally achieved middle school cool.

The second feeling is an almost irrational happiness that my daughter is the source of this compliment.

Lately she’s been increasingly critical in her appraisal of me. Like most daughters, she assumes that I can’t

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

possibly understand her. She’s often wrong. I remember perfectly well the other side of our battles about bedtimes and boys, movie ratings and tight tops. But she’s right about one thing. I don’t understand what it’s like to be her partly because I’m not deaf.

When she was little, I used to wish I could live inside her head for a day.

I want to believe that there are charms and incantations that will protect her from the world’s perils.

Like all families in which the parents hear and a child doesn’t, my husband and I have had to make challenging decisions about what’s best for our daughter. We’ve made each one knowing that, in crucial ways, we really don’t know what it’s like to be her.

That’s true for every parent, of course. Much as we want to believe our children will benefit from our experience, a huge amount of what each of us knows matters only in the context of our lives. All the tricks I’ve learned for coaxing curl from my stick straight hair don’t help my daughter with her corkscrews. Much of what I thought I knew about communication and relationships has been challenged by her experience as a person who doesn’t hear.

Like all adolescents, my daughter is becoming aware of the gaps in my wisdom. I know this is inevitable, yet I often find myself missing the little girl who laughed without condescension at my goofiest faces and trusted my judgement even when she didn’t like it. The child I live with now can be www.mendolakefamilylife.com

downright vicious when I need to exercise parental authority. “You hate deaf people,” she’ll shout as she heads for her room. “I’ll never love you again.”

The fact that she often appears 30 minutes later cheerful or even apologetic doesn’t blunt the trauma I feel. I find myself bruised by our encounters even though I know the intensity of her feelings is necessary and even healthy. I understand that the gravitational pull of loving parents is often so powerful that a girl can’t sense the uniqueness of herself unless she exaggerates the extremes.

And I know, perhaps more clearly than other moms, that my daughter will not replicate my life. Her deafness is not her destiny, but it shapes her experience in ways that I often

glimpse but cannot inhabit. One thing will, I hope, be the same. Eventually I learned to love the wistful middle school girl who longed to be noticed by the popular kids. In time, I trust, my daughter too will love the hair— and the ears—she has.

I know her volcanic eruptions are part of the process. I recognize and even respect that. But it’s hard to enjoy it. So, this morning, I bask in my daughter’s glitter. As glad as I am to have achieved belated cool, it is nothing compared to the gratitude I feel for this charmed moment when she is as glad to be my daughter as I am to be her mom. ¶ Carolyn Jabs, MA, is working on a book about constructive responses to conflict. Find her at growing-up-online.com. Copyright, 2015, Carolyn Jabs. All rights reserved.

Blue Ribbon Pets

Pets of the Month Sponsor • Adopt-a-Pet Discount

Like our Facebook Page for Special Discounts

(707) 485-8454 • www.brpets.com

Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County PETS OF THE MONTH. COME MEET US TODAY! Lux is a retired mom cat and

Onyx is a retired mom cat. She is a super sweet kitty that needs lots of love. She is a little shy at first but warms up quickly. She is a very petite cat that looks much like a kitten herself and would do great in a home where she can sit in windows and watch the birds.

Barney If you are looking for a

Rusty is a wire-haired Dachshund/ Chi mix. He has a cute whiskery appearance that makes him seem older than his 18 months. He would love lots of exercise and love and attention! He needs some basic obedience training but loves other dogs and people.

would like an indoor/outdoor home.

She really is a sweet kitty but is quite unpredictable. She would be a great barn cat and an independent companion to have around if you don’t want a cat that is too social.

rascal, this is your dog. He’s a real character and ready to warm your heart! He’s about 10 weeks old, and with the spots on his nose and one lopsided ear, he appears to be ready to take on the world! Come see for yourself if he’s the one for you.

9700 Uva Dr. Redwood Valley (707) 485-0123 • www.mendohumanesociety.com September 2015

MendoLakeFamilyLife 13

The ADD Exercise Cure O Movement Helps Kids Focus

By Lucy Jo Palladino

ne of the first things I learned about working with kids who have attention problems is that they’re usually better listeners if they’ve had time to play outside. This can be a tough sell to parents who, under­standably, are afraid their children will get too wound up and never settle down (which is true if a child is overstimulated for other rea­sons—for instance, having consumed too much sugar).

Exercise scientists have shown that physical activity helps children pay attention immediately afterward. For example, in a 2013 study reported to the American College of Sports Medicine, fourth and fifth grade students who exercised vigorously for ten minutes before a math exam scored significantly higher than a comparable group of fourth and fifth graders who were sedentary during that time.

Much of the research supporting the cognitive benefits of physical exercise is summarized by psychiatrist John Ratey in

14 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Spark, his semi­nal book on the link between exercise and the brain. In one study, stu­dents who took an aerobic phys ed class during first period were split into two groups. One group took a literacy class during second period and the other, during eighth period.

Both groups showed improvement in reading and comprehension, but the second-period group, who had the class immediately following aerobic exercise, performed best.

This study was part of a larger educational experiment that teaches physical fitness to high school students in a school district on the out­skirts of Chicago. The program resulted in dramatically higher standard­ized test scores for its participants.

Ratey’s book goes on to describe important new research that explains the biology behind these encour­aging results.

Scientists had assumed that the effects of exercise would show up in the motor

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Bob Rider

cortex of the brain, but they were surprised to dis­cover critical changes in the hippocampus, the part of the brain respon­sible for learning and memory. In addition, body movement generates an important brain chemical called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF), which Ratey calls “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”

A 2013 study in the Journal of Pediatrics showed that for fourth

photography

Family Portraits Individuals • Families • Events BobRiderPhotography.com • (707)245-5321

_____________________ October 17 y

Exercise scientists have shown that physical activity helps children pay attention immediately afterward. through eighth graders, aerobic fitness predicted higher standardized scores in math and reading. These results were consistent with the findings of a review article that analyzed and summarized the research that has been published to date on this topic.

The article concluded that aerobic exercise improves executive functions, including volun­tary attention, in children, adolescents, and adults. ¶

y

Saturday 10am - 3pm

2015

2nd Annual

AND

y FAIR

______________________

From Parenting in the Age of Attention Snatchers by Lucy Jo Palladino, PhD © 2015

by Lucy Jo Palladino. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, MA, shambhala.com.

Lucy Jo Palladino, PhD, is an award-winning clinical psychologist, researcher, and author. She wrote Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored, and Having Problems in Schools (Ballantine Books, 1999) and Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload (Atria Books, 2011), which has been translated into seven languages.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Lake County Fairgrounds y FREE Admission!

EDUCATIONAL F EXCITING F FUN INTERACTIVE DEMONSTRATIONS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

______________________ “Jaws-of-Life” • Medical Helicopters • Rescue Vehicles Boating Safety • Car Seat Safety Inspections • Bike Giveaways and More Health Checks • Free Flu Shot Vaccinations

SPONSORED BY

LAKE COUNTY FIRE CHIEF’S ASSOCIATION

September 2015

MendoLakeFamilyLife 15

are doing. “The situation is often painful, especially for relatives,” she says sympathetically. “There is an element of denial in their inappropriate gift giving.”

Barbara adds that toys for children with special needs ideally fill functions beyond pleasure and entertainment. They can also

People often give what they wish the child wanted instead of what is appropriate.

Exceptional Gifts

By Lynn Pribus

Pretend you get a birthday present.

You unwrap the colorful paper and discover a wonderful book, but when you open the cover, it’s written in Sanskrit. Or you receive an expensive and complicated piece of surveyor’s equipment, but your passion is pottery.

Perfect Presents for Kids with Special Needs

Your disappointment would be similar to what children with disabilities—whether physical or developmental—often face when they receive presents.

Unfortunately, gift givers aren’t always sensitive to the fact that a toy labeled “Ages 3-5” may not be suitable for a child of that age with 16 MendoLakeFamilyLife

limited vision, hearing, or manual dexterity. People often give what they wish the child wanted instead of what is appropriate and desirable.

Why don’t people take this into consideration? Barbara, the mother of a son with Down syndrome, suggests that people simply aren’t aware of what they

stimulate development, which can be especially valuable for a child with disabilities. “You have to ask what are the child’s capabilities,” she comments, “and what is the next step for the child to master.”

Some years ago when her son was young, Barbara says, he needed especially lightweight playthings, but standard toys are generally made to be sturdy and durable. “We used to buy him dog toys,” she recalls ruefully. “They were soft enough for him to squeeze and make a noise.”

For help finding suitable toys for a specific disability, google “toys blind child” or “toys deaf child.” And if you’re still not sure what to get that special child on your gift list?

“Ask parents for specific suggestions,” urges Barbara. “That’s not being intrusive, it’s being realistic and thoughtful.”

Lynn Pribus is a long-time writer and parenting educator. She and her husband have two sons.

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

GIVE US A SHOUT! We want to know what you think.

• What did you like in this issue?

• What do you want to see more or less of?

• Know a teacher, coach, or special person who makes local family life better?

• Know of an upcoming event or fun family outing?

• Want to write stories or recipes, or blog for Family Life?

e-mail melissa@family-life.us

Get Just the Right Toy You can find the unique toy you’re looking for with a click of the mouse thanks to these resources.

• The Toys “R” Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids is available at toysrus.com.

(Enter “differently-abled” in the site’s search box.) Toys are listed according to categories such as tactile, fine motor, or auditory.

• Flaghouse targets schools, institutions, and hospitals, but individuals can purchase items. The diverse product lines include games and toys adapted for a variety of disabilities. Typical items: a lightweight ball that “floats” in the air for a child with slow reaction time, or specialized swing seats with extra support for kids with physical disabilities. Find more information at flaghouse.com.

• Lekotek, which translates as “toy library,” is a national organization dedicated to kids with special needs. The website provides extensive information on resources and services. Check them out at lekotek.org.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

September 2015

MendoLakeFamilyLife 17

severe medical conditions…attributed… to ‘autism behaviours’… .” This holds true across age groups, and can result in serious long-term health consequences, including mortality rates three to ten times higher than the general population.

Piecing the Puzzle Together Get the Best Medical Help for Your Child with Autism

By Leslie Phillips

O

ne of the most challenging aspects of being a caregiver of a person with autism is finding proper medical care. Some people with autism are nonverbal and unable to communicate

pain or discomfort in traditional ways. Others may have strong verbal skills but still are not reliable reporters of health issues.

This problem is greatly compounded by physicians who, too hastily, address changes in behavior or bowel habits, staring spells, and any number of symptoms with “It’s just the autism.” In fact, there is overwhelming evidence that certain medical conditions occur at a very high rate in autism. Often these 18 MendoLakeFamilyLife

conditions are treatable, and, when properly addressed, can improve core symptoms of autism, as well as immediate health concerns, such as pain, and long-term health outcomes.

The organization Treating Autism’s document “Medical Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorders” states that there are “widespread reports of

The paper, “A Review of Research Trends in Physiological Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders,” published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry in 2012, also supports these findings. The article states that roughly 90–95 percent of relevant literature published between 1971 and 2010 supports associations between autism and serious medical conditions. In other words—and this is critical to understand—there is something about the biology of individuals with autism that puts them at greater risk for many serious medical problems.

So, what’s a parent (or caregiver) to do? The answer is complex, but here are six steps you can take to ensure your loved one with autism gets the best possible medical care.

Educate yourself. Read the two documents listed above to understand which conditions are most closely associated with autism, and then share them with your health-care provider.

Connect with support groups.

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) and the National Autism Association have many chapters nationwide. In-person groups are best, but online support groups can also be helpful. Groups (or health care providers) that promise a “cure” or “quick fixes” should be avoided.

Steer clear of anyone who greatly oversimplifies an approach.

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Look for the best providers.

Unlike most providers, practitioners certified by the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) are trained to diagnose and treat the complex—often chronic—medical conditions in autism. For some important tips on working with a health-care provider, see Lisa Ackerman’s article “Parents Bill of Rights and Parent Responsibilities” on TACA’s website, tacanow.org.

One tough issue is some of these practitioners do not participate in

There is overwhelming evidence that certain medical conditions occur at a very high rate in autism. insurance programs. Most mainstream physicians who take insurance are only going to prescribe psychotropic medications or off-label prescriptions that seek to mask, and do not treat, the underlying medical issue. If your only option is to see a health-care provider that is not MAPS-certified, try to find someone who is progressive and open-minded. Take your research and a list of your loved one’s symptoms to the first appointment. Many caregivers say that by listening to a provider and not being overbearing, they get further with her or him.

Get organized. Many caregivers have created systems to keep track of testing, medical bills, and insurance claims and appeals. Obtain copies of all medical test results and, if you don’t understand the findings, do more research. Document in writing any verbal conversations you have with www.mendolakefamilylife.com

insurance companies, keeping track of the names of individuals you speak to, noting dates and times. Remember, sometimes it takes one, two, or even three appeals before insurance companies will pay. In this instance, persistence literally pays much of the time. Diagnostic codes should reflect the specific symptoms and suspected problem. Using the ICD-9-CM code for autism (299.0) does not accurately describe the reason for testing and can often cause a claim to be dismissed out of hand. An exception might be to obtain Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment in a state where coverage is mandated for autism.

Get the family on board. You will likely need your spouse, siblings, or others in the household to cooperate with treatments. It’s important they understand how critical it is to maintain adherence to diets, supplements, and other protocols.

View every effort as an opportunity to improve the health of your loved one instead of focusing on the sacrifices you are making.

Keep your eye on the prize. It can be overwhelming to address all the medical, educational, and emotional needs of your loved one, not to mention the rest of your family.

Improvement or recovery is rarely linear—it often looks more like a roller coaster. Good communication with those in your household can go a long way to preserving the loving relationships that can be stressed when there is autism in the house. ¶ Leslie Phillips is the mother of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome and another with moderate to severe autism. She serves on the board of the National Autism Association.

September 2015

Never

Underestimate the Power of the Purse Moms typically control 80% or more of their household budgets They’re looking right here, to find you.

Call now. Don’t miss another month.

IN PRINT • ONLINE • EVENTS • CONTESTS

586-9562

MendoLakeFamilyLife.com MendoLakeFamilyLife 19

e-cigarette use doubled from 4.7 percent to 10 percent between 2011 and 2012.

With no combustion, smoke, and the tell-tale smoke smell, “vape pens” are more discreet than traditional cigarettes. This means they pose a different kind of health risk to teens, says Harold Farber, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Texas Children’s Hospital. Because e-cigarettes allow teens to use nicotine in places smoking isn’t allowed—at school, work, or in or around restaurants

Lighting Up

By Malia Jacobson

F

How to Keep Your Teen Safe from E-Cigs

or decades, teachers have dealt with teen smoking: Kids skipping class to light up; smoke seeping out of bathroom stalls; tobacco scents trailing into class. But when electronic

cigarettes hit the scene a few years ago, educators noticed a change.

Instead of the classic smoker aroma, the smell was candy-sweet.

Instead of lighters, students were carrying electronic cigarettes.

“Suddenly, these things were everywhere,” says educator Megan Temple. “In sporting events, in bathrooms, even showing up in class.

It’s a big problem.”

E-cigarettes are slender cylindrical devices with an electronic heating element that vaporizes nicotine-infused liquid, also called “vape juice” or “e-juice.” This liquid comes in hundreds of sweet, 20 MendoLakeFamilyLife

teen-friendly flavors, from banana cream pie to butter rum.

The popularity of e-cigarettes is exploding. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a quarter-million middle and high school students who had never smoked a traditional cigarette tried e-cigarettes in 2013, a three-fold increase from 2011. Among high school students,

Nicotine liquid comes in hundreds of sweet, teen-friendly flavors, from banana cream pie to butter rum. where cigarettes are banned—they increase teens’ access to nicotine, Farber says. The vape liquid smell isn’t a smoky smell, so parents may not detect it, either.

Discreet or not, e-cigarettes still pose all the health risks associated with nicotine, including reduced lung function, narrowed blood vessels, heart strain, and risk for serious, long-term addiction.

In addition, nicotine liquid is hazardous if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. The CDC reports that poison center calls involving e-cigarettes jumped from one call per month in 2010 to 215 calls per month in February 2014.

Legal Limbo Appealing and addictive, e-cigarettes are also more accessible to teens than conventional cigarettes. Though some

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

states ban e-cigarette sales to minors, vape pens and juice are available in a few clicks online.

California law prevents minors from buying vaping devices containing nicotine. However, the California State Assembly recently passed a bill that would ban teens under 18 years old from buying vaping and e-cig devices, period.

Currently, no federal ban prevents youth from purchasing e-cigarettes or the nicotine liquid. Federal regulation of e-cigarettes is currently pending; in spring 2014, the FDA released a proposed rule that would expand the ban on tobacco sales to minors to include electronic cigarettes and liquid.

A final rule is expected by the end of year.

Buzz Beaters The best way to keep teens away from e-cigarettes: Talk to them in terms they care about, Farber says.

“Teenagers don’t care as much about losing years of their life, because that’s so far in the future,” Farber says. “Instead, talk to them about how

The California State Assembly recently passed a bill that would ban teens under 18 years old from buying vaping and e-cig devices. nicotine reduces athletic performance.

Tell them it can age them and affect how their skin looks.”

Avoiding exposure to tobacco marketing—retail displays, print ads, and television promotion—is important, too. American youth see 559 tobacco ads per year, and those exposed to more sources of tobacco advertising are the most likely to smoke.

Megan Temple hopes the e-cigarette novelty wears off. The school she works at drafted e-cigarette policies that seem to be helping. That’s a positive step, Temple says. “Any e-cigarette use at school or in teens is a problem.”

Malia Jacobson’s latest book is Sleep Tight, Every Night: Helping Toddlers and Preschoolers Sleep Well Without Tears, Tricks, or Tirades.

Medical Transport when you Need it.

65 Covers the Whole Family for a Year.

$

Family health care for all of Lake County.

HOSPITAL SERVICES 707-262-5000 COMMUNITY CLINIC 707-263-6885 AFTER HOURS CARE 707-262-5088 sutterlakeside.org

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

It’s not unusual for young children to get croup. But when Donnie came home from a visit to the ER, his symptoms kept getting worse. He was hospitalized the next day, and still there a week later.

Donnie needed to be transported to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

When Donnie woke up the next morning, he was bouncing off the walls & doing great!

Donnie’s Mom Mary was impressed with the compassion and professionalism of the flight team.

Medical flights cost thousands of dollars. Don’t let a medical emergency break your bank.

September 2015

Don’t wait until it’s too late... become a member today!

Contact your local Membership Manager for Available Discounts Nicole Vice

707-239-2505 nicole.vice@amgh.us

www. REACHair.com/membership

MendoLakeFamilyLife 21

September Calendar of Events

Fresh Air, Fresh Art

D

o your teens get inspired when they see a blank canvas and tubes of paint? The Mendocino Open Paint Out, a plein air festival, might motivate them to pick up their own brushes and create. They can attend daily wet paint sales, demonstrations, and presentations. Or they can watch celebrity artists, such as John Hewitt, Marsha Connell, Carolyn Lord, and Juan Pena, paint on location. In addition, local oil, pastel, and watercolor artists will compete for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes. The free event will be held at the Mendocino Art Center, September 7–12. Hours are as follows: September 7, 12–7 p.m.; September 8–11, 8 a.m.–7 p.m., with art hung by 5 p.m. on September 11; September 12, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., with an opening reception 5–8 p.m. See the mendocinoartcenter.org/pleinair for more information. ¶

Tuesday 1 FREE Healthy Living Classes. A six-week series for people with chronic health conditions or those who live with or otherwise support them. Covers eating well, sleeping soundly & dealing with pain & fatigue.

Pre-registration required. Tuesdays.

Sept. 1–Oct. 13. No class on Sept.

15. 1 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Ukiah Senior Center. Administration Bldg., 499 Leslie St., Ukiah. 972-3191. 671-5939. ukiahseniorcenter.org.

FREE After School Fun for Youths.

Full program of activities. Includes homework assistance. Tuesdays.

3:30–5 p.m. Action Network. 240 Main St., Point Arena. 882-1691. actionnetwork.info.

FREE Pre-K Program at Horicon.

Action Network, in collaboration with Horicon Elementary School & First 5 Sonoma, is expanding the pre-K program at Horicon. Kids ages 3–5 from the bi-county region are welcome to attend. Before- & after-care is $20/

day for ages 3–5; free for pre-K. For those needing transportation, limited seating is available on a Horicon bus.

Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays. 9 a.m.–noon. Horicon Elementary School. 35555 Annapolis Rd., Annapolis. 886-5322. 884-5413.

FREE Story Time. Preschool story

time with stories, crafts & fun. Older children & babies are welcome, too.

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Middletown Library. 21256 Washington St., Middletown. 987-3674. co.lake.ca.us.

Come Explore College and Careers Workshop at Mendocino College

My Future, My Way For Grades Workshop 7th-12th

Panel with recent High School Grads Sharing their College Experiences!

October 10th 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Mendocino College • 2565 Parallel Drive, Lakeport

No cost event Hands-on Workshops Drawing prizes Lunch included

Register in advance at 263-8918 or www.lakecoe.org 22 MendoLakeFamilyLife

GOT LICE?

TREAT TODAY… GONE TODAY! • Unique system for lice removal.

• 100% guaranteed on 1st visit.

• Certified operators. • FDA cleared.

415-328-1350 • www.lcanorthbay.com 159 Lynch Creek Way • Petaluma

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Wednesday 2 All You Can Eat Pizza Fundraiser.

Help support SPCA of Clearlake. $8.

5–8 p.m. DJ’s Pizza. 16135 Main St., Lower Lake. 994-4760.

FREE Mendocino Museum. First

Wed. of each month. 10 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. 400 E. Commercial St., Willits.

459-2736. mendocinomuseum.org.

Thursday 3 FREE Wii-U Gaming for Teens.

A number of games available.

Thursdays. 3:30–5 p.m. Mendocino County Library. 105 N. Main St., Ukiah. 463.4491. co.mendocino. ca.us/library/calendar.htm.

Lake County Fair. An annual event since 1880! Thru Sept. 6. Adults $10.

Kids ages 6–11 & seniors 60 & up $6.

Under 5 free. Kids Day Sept. 3: ages 11 & under $3. Visit website for event schedule. Sept. 3: 6–11 p.m. Sept 4: 4–11 p.m. Sept. 5 & 6: 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Lake County Fairgrounds. 401 Martin St., Lakeport. 263-6181. lakecountyfair.com.

Friday 4 FREE Handheld Device Support Group. Learn about e-mail, texting,

downloading books, movies, apps & more. All ages & skill levels. Share what you know & learn from others.

Fridays 1–2 p.m. Willits Library (Mtg. Rm.). 390 E. Commercial St., Willits.

459-5908. co.mendocino.ca.us/library.

FREE Summer Skate Nights. Skates

& roller blades to check out for free, but if you have your own, bring them. $5. Children under 18 must have an adult sign them in before they can skate. 6:30–9 p.m. Old Rec Gym. 213 E. Laurel St., Fort Bragg. 964-9446.

FREE Grace Hudson Museum. First Friday of each month. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 431 S. Main St., Ukiah. 467-2836. gracehudsonmuseum.org.

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Paul Bunyan Days. Kiddie games,

craft fair, parade, logging show, classic car show, firemen’s ball, gem & mineral show & much more. Thru Sept. 7. Visit website for a complete schedule of events. Sept. 4: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sept. 5: 9 a.m.–midnight. Sept.

6: 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Sept. 7: 10 a.m.–6

p.m. Hwy. 1 & Main St., Fort Bragg. paulbunyandays.com.

FREE For the Dogs. First Friday

of each month. Second Chance volunteers apply free Frontline Plus flea/tick treatment to the dogs of Fort Bragg Food Bank clients. Info about free canine spay/neuter & puppy shots will be available. Dogs must be on

INTRODUCING

Braces for only

$99/month!*

Be sure to mention this ad!

• Affordable Braces • No Credit Checks • Se Habla Espanol • No Dentist Referral Needed

Call for your FREE consultation!

Ukiah 707-583-8WOW Clearlake 707-994-7878

www.WowMySmile.com September 2015

*New patients only.

Cannot be combined with other offers.

Restrictions may apply.

MendoLakeFamilyLife 23

leash. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Fort Bragg Food Bank. 910 N. Franklin St., Fort Bragg.

964-7770. secondchancefortbragg.org.

Saturday 5 FREE Anchor Bay Day. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Anchor Bay Store. The village is holding a birthday party with food, music, vendors & kid activities. Noon. Anchor Bay Village & Anchor Bay. mendonoma.com.

Beginner Bird Walk. Bring water, wear comfortable walking shoes.

Binoculars available. Heavy rain cancels. Walk is free, but must pay admission to gardens (reduced fee).

9 a.m.–noon. Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. 18220 Hwy. 1, Fort Bragg. mendocinocoastaudubon.org.

FREE First Saturday Summer Trunk Tour. Super junk, collectibles,

antiques & oddities. Start at High St. Village parking lot at 1855 N. Main St. then cruise Lakeshore Blvd. to the Nice-Lucerne cutoff. 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

262-1967. lakeportmainstreet.com.

Sunday 6 FREE First Fiddlers’ Jam. Listen to fiddle tunes played by members of the Northern California Old Time Fiddlers Group. Noon–2 p.m. Ely Stage Stop. 9921 Soda Bay Rd. (Hwy. 128), Kelseyville. 533-9990.

FREE Giants of the Great North Woods Tour. Sundays

& Wednesdays. 2–4 p.m. Hendy Woods State Park. 18599 Philo Greenwood Rd., Philo. 895-3141.

Dog Daze & Cat Naps. Redwood

Coast Humane Society annual fundraiser. Registration for “Any Dog

Can Win Dog Show” is 11 a.m.–noon.

Musical dog chairs, raffle prizes, pet photos, face painting, food & drink. Bring dogs on leash. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Gualala Community Center.

47950 Center St., Gualala. 884-1304. mendonoma.com.

FREE Harbor & Seafood Festival.

Featuring a variety of seafood, beer, wine & soft drinks, games for kids, live music & DJ. Free entry & parking. Noon–6 p.m.

Arena Cove, Point Arena. 882-2122. redwoodcoastchamber.com.

Monday 7 FREE 3rd Annual Mendocino Open Paint Out. A plein air festival.

Includes plein air painting with daily demonstrations & presentation. All are open to the public, including

School Offices Open for Enrollment August 6

Mendocino Ballet Mendocino Ballet

Dance Classes Dance Classes Dance Classes

Join Us for Back to School Nights this Fall!

MendocinoMendocino Ballet Balle

Dance Classes

Pre-Ballet ages 3-5 Ballet for Ballet classes for classes ages 3-Adult ages 3-Adult Tap/Ballet class for ages 4-7 Tap/Ballet class Tap classes for ages 7-Adult Ballet classes for agesfor 4-6ages 3-Adult Tap classes Jazz/Contemporary classes Tap/Ballet class for ages 4-7 for ages 7-Adult Special intensive classes in Jazz/Contemporary classes Tap ages 7-Adult August forclasses our Art offor Classical

Dance Classes

Ballet classes for ages 3-Adult Tap/Ballet class for ages 4-7

Parents Count Tap classes for ages 7-Adult Ballet

classes for ag

Jazz/Contemporary classes

Tap/Ballet class for

Special intensive classes in

You can have a voice in your child's Tap education classes for age August for our Art of Classical

Here's how: Meet Special Art of Classical Ballet program Ballet program Your Jazz/Contemporary classes Jazz/Contemporar • Attend monthly School Site Council Meetings.

Child’s Ballet Program • Support your school Parent/Teacher Association.

Teachers Nutcracker Auditions Special intensive classes in • Volunteer for school and/or classroom activities.

Special intensive c Sat. Sept. 12, 3:30–5:30 • Attend Back to School Nights in the fall and Open House in For more information call our office for at 463-2290 or For more information call our office at 463-2290 orthe spring.

August forages our 6-15 Art of Classical August for our Art o email at balletoffice@sbcglobal.net For more information callFacebook, our office at 463-2290 Follow us on or Twitter email at balletoffice@sbcglobal.net and Instagram!Ballet program

• Visit the district's website and learn about current events (www.uusd.net). email at balletoffice@sbcglobal.net

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

www.mendocinoballet.org www.mendocinoballet.org

UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT www.mendocinoballet.org

“Where Dance Come “WhereDreams Dreams toto Dance Come True!”True!”

511Dreams S. ORCHARD AVE.,Come UKIAHTrue!”

• 707-472-5000 “Where to Dance

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Ballet progra

For more information call our office at 463-2290 or For more information call our office at 46324 MendoLakeFamilyLife email at balletoffice@sbcglobal.net September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com email at balletoffice@sbcglobal.net Follow us on Facebook, Follow us on Facebook,

Mendocino Ballet

Mendocino Ballet

watching the artists paint. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Thru Sept. 12. Visit our website for painting locations. 937-5818. mendocinoartcenter.org.

FREE Play Group at Safe Passages.

Mondays. 10–11 a.m. 208 Dana St., Fort Bragg. mendochildren.org.

Steam Donkey Fun Run & Walk.

One mile. Adults $20. Youth $10.

Registration 9–10:15 a.m. Race starts 10:30 a.m. West corner of Laurel & Hwy. 1, Fort Bragg. paulbunyandays.com.

Lions Labor Day BBQ. Adults $15.

Youth under 12, seniors over 60 & military $10. Noon–4 p.m. Todd Point.

1211 Del Mar Dr., Fort Bragg. 961-1727. fortbragglionsclub.org.

Wednesday 9 FREE 2nd Annual Veterans Stand Down/Resource Fair. This event

is held in cities all over the nation providing food, clothing, services, access to on-site medical/dental attention & enrollment in health care. Thru Sept. 10. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

American Legion Post 437. 14770 Austin Rd., Clearlake. 463-4226. mendovets@co.mendocino.ca.us.

Friday 11 17th Annual Chili Cook-Off. Taste

chili from local businesses as they compete for awards. Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Ukiah.

Adults $10. Kids 11–6 $5. Ages 5 & under free. 6 p.m. Alex R. Thomas Plaza. 310 State St., Ukiah. 467-4900.

FREE 22nd Annual Cloverdale Car & Motorcycle Show. Sept. 11: 7 p.m.

Cruise. 7:30 p.m. Live music by the Unauthorized Rolling Stones.

Sept. 12: 8 a.m. Pancake Breakfast at Cloverdale Senior Center. 10 a.m. Car & motorcycle show, kids’ zone, food, beer & wine. 5 p.m. cloverdalecarshow.com. www.mendolakefamilylife.com

5th Annual Cardinal Sports Night.

Saturday 12 Dancing Horses: A Dressage Festival. Wine tasting & dressage to

music. Silent auction. Free admission.

Tickets available for wine tasting &/ or lunch. 11 a.m. Highland Springs Equestrian Center. 8900 Wight Way, Kelseyville. 415-350-1540. 1 Zone

Option

travelled

CASH FARE $1.50 PUNCH PASS

Games, music, BBQ, silent & live auctions. Coaches Competition. All proceeds benefit the sports teams of Clear Lake High School. Presale $25.

Door $30. Students $15. 5 & under free.

6 p.m. Phil Lewis Hall at the Lake County Fairgrounds. 401 Martin St., 2 Zones Lakeport.

349-0815. 3 Zones

travelled

GOING TO SCHOOL?

$1.06/ride (1 punch)

travelled

$2.25

$3.00

$2.12/ride

$3.18/ride

(2 punches)

(3 punches)

MTA$8.50 has three great options 16 punches: $17, Seniors/Disabled:

Riding Green is $57 a Bargain $35 $85 MONTHLY Option PASS

as low as1 Zone

$1.13/ride 1 Zonetravelled

travelled$1.50 Option CASH FARE rides per month Unlimited PUNCH $1.06/ride PASS (1 punch)

SERVING CASH FARE $1.50

16 punches: $17, Seniors/Disabled: $8.50

as low2 Zones as

travelled $1.84/ride 2 Zones

travelled $2.25

$2.12/ride

$2.25

(2 punches)

as3low as Zones

travelled $2.74/ride 3 Zones

travelled $3.00

$3.18/ride

$3.00

(3 punches)

Mendocino College-Willits Campus MONTHLY $35 PASS as low as

Redwood $57 Academy $85 as low as as low as Unlimited per monthSchool $1.13/ride $1.84/ride $2.74/ride Willitsrides Charter Ukiah Adult School $1.06/ride $2.12/ride $3.18/ride PUNCH Mendocino College-Ukiah Campus (2Accelerated Achievement (1Ukiah punch) punches) (3 punches) Serving Willits/Ukiah Adult School Mendocino High School (Local 9 service until 10:10 pm • Saturdays 8 amAchievement to 5 pm) PASS Academy Mendocino College-Willits Campus Accelerated Mendocino Alternative Academy Willits Charter School Academy Serving Fort Bragg 16 punches: $17, Seniors/Disabled: Waldorf School Mendocino College-Ukiah Campus River Oak Charter School$8.50River Oak Dana Gray ElementarySchool School Charter (Local 9 service until 10:10 pm Pomolita Redwood Elementary School Saturdays 8 am to 5 pm) Shelter Cove School Ukiah Junior Academy St. Mary’s Pomolita Waldorf School New Beginnings School Noyo High School Ukiah Junior Academy Serving Mendocino Bragg High School Ukiah High School $35 $57 Fort $85 Ukiah High School Mendocino Grammar School St. Mary’s Mendocino College Coast Center MONTHLY Redwood Academy

PASS

asMendocino low as Middle School

$1.13/ride

Unlimited rides per month

SERVING

as low asFort Bragg Middle School as low as

$1.84/ride

$2.74/ride

Mendocino Transit Authority

www.mendocinotransit.org 800-696-4MTA Mendocino College-Willits Campus • Redwood Academy Willits Charter School Ukiah Adult School 25 September 2015 MendoLakeFamilyLife Mendocino College-Ukiah Campus Accelerated Achievement

YES You Can! Look & Feel GOOD Medically Supervised Weight Loss For You, your Health, your LIFE!

Weight No More $20 OFF Your First Visit NEW PATIENTS SEEN AT 1:00 PM

Ukiah: 462-0464 750 South Dora St. Thur. 11:30-5:30

Lakeport: 263-1979 751 11th St. Fri. 11:30-5:30

www.weightnomoremedical.com • Se habla español

Caring, Personalized Treatment Plan

Located in Beautiful, Little Lake Valley of Willits • Small Class Sizes • Personal Attention to each student

A Christ-Centered Education Adventist Christian School of Willits

• A Safe Place to Grow

A Journey to Excellence Participant School 707-459-4333 • www.willitssdaschool.com

Christian Education to the children of this area for 50 years.

Love Working with kids?

WORK AT HOME • CHOOSE YOUR OWN HOURS • WORK WITH CHILDREN Own Your Own Business • Free Training and other great incentives for attending fun workshops.

• Child Care Assistance for lowincome eligible families.

• Free Child Care Referrals.

Car Show & Craft Fair. Chili Cook-Off, raffles, vendor booths, food concessions. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. New Hope Fellowship. 305 Peckham Ct., Lakeport. Next to Kmart. lakeportmainstreet.com.

Auditions for The Nutcracker.

Experience required. Auditions 3:30–5:30 p.m. Mendocino Ballet. 205 S. State St., Ukiah. 453-2290.

Lake County AIDS Walk. Country singer McKenna Faith headlining.

Family-friendly event. 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Library Park. 225 Park St., Lakeport.

995-1606. lakeportmainstreet.com.

Rita Hosking with Sean Feder & Bill Dakin. A Benefit for Anderson

Marsh State Historic Park. Doors 6:30 p.m. Slide show & music: 7 p.m. $25.

Soper Reese Theatre. 275 S. Main St., Lakeport. soperreesetheatre.com.

Sunday 13 FREE Lake County Symphony Chamber Orchestra. 3 p.m.

Soper Reese Theatre. 275 S. Main St., Lakeport. 263-0577. soperreesetheatre.com.

FREE Friends of Boggs Mt. Hike Trail Maintenance. Bring water,

work gloves & hand tool, such as loppers or clippers. 9–11 a.m. Boggs Mountain State Demonstration Forest. Middletown. 928-0465. boggsmountain.net.

Howard Memorial Hospital Grand Open House. Get a

behind-the-scenes peak of the new facility. 1–4 p.m. One Marcela Dr., Willits. howardhospital.com.

Friday 18 FREE 25th Annual Fabulous Flashback Car Show. Featuring

1-800-606-5550 ext. 211 26 MendoLakeFamilyLife

Rural Communities Child Care

more than 300 vintage, antique & classic automobiles. Pre-1973 stock and modified vehicles. Friday’s

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

welcome to the twenty

kick-off begins at Applebee’s parking lot with live music, raffle prizes & vendor booths. Sept. 18: 4–9 p.m. Applebee’s parking lot.

1212 Airport Blvd., Ukiah. Sept. 19: 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Downtown Ukiah on School St. earlyironofukiah.org.

Mendocino County Fair & Apple Show.

CCPRA Rodeos, Classic Car Show, sheep dog trails, entertainment, carnival, apple tasting, samples of award-winning wines & hard ciders. 9 a.m.–midnight.

Mendocino County Fairgrounds.

14400 Hwy. 128, Boonville. See website for full schedule of events. 895-3011. mendocountyfair.com.

third annual

kElsEyvillE PEAR fEstivAl TOWN PARADE

9:30 AM

FREE Concert on the Green. 5–8 p.m. Greenview Event Lawn. Hidden Valley Lake Association. 18174 Hidden Valley Rd., Hidden Valley. hvla.com.

Saturday 19 California Cider Tasting Competition. Taste the state’s

best hard ciders (apples, too!) & cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award. Thru Sept. 20. Grand Tasting 1–5 p.m. Sept. 19 & noon–4 p.m. Sept. 20. Flights are $6–$7, plus admission to the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show.

Mendocino County Fairgrounds.

14400 Hwy. 128, Boonville. californiacidercompetition.com.

FREE Indian Day Celebration.

Native dancers, vendors, complimentary Indian cuisine & more! Noon–5 p.m. Twin Pine Casino & Hotel. 22223 CA-29, Middletown. twinpine.com.

BoomerRaging. Will Durst’s

acclaimed tribute to the history, growth, joys, achievements, frustrations, fashions & looming doom of the Baby Boom Generation. Doors open at 6 p.m. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Hill House Inn. 10701 Palette Dr., www.mendolakefamilylife.com

saturday • september 26 • 2015 horse faire ••musical antique tractors tractors town parade musical events events •• antique quilt drinks•• craft craftmarket market quilt show show •• pear pear food && drinks September 2015

* *

play eat

dance

*

shop

MendoLakeFamilyLife 27

* have Fun !

Mendocino. 937-1732. willdurst.com. artsmendocino.org.

FREE Coastal Clean-up. Contact

your local county coordinator to choose your volunteer site. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Contact coordinators for clean-up sites. Mendocino County: 962-0470. msmithy@mendocinolandtrust. org. Lake County: 295-0333. carolyn. ruttan@lakecountyca.gov.

Sunday 20 Color for Cancer: 5K Run & Walk.

Get ready for a fun cross-country course. All participants are encouraged to wear white. Color stations will be strategically placed throughout the course to give you a proper dousing. Commemorative sunglasses will be given to each participant as will a commemorative t-shirt, while supplies last! Adults $40.

Kids $25. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. 1055 N. State St., Ukiah. ukiahchamber.com.

Friday 25 Kelseyville Pear Festival Kick-off Dinner & Concert. BBQ dinner &

musical performances. $50. 5–10 p.m.

Wildhurst Tasting Room. 3955 Main St., Kelseyville. 800-595-WINE. FREE Late Night Basketball. Fourth

Friday of each month. Kids 15 & under need to be checked in & out by a responsible adult. 6–9 p.m. Alex Rorabaugh Rec Center. 1640 S. State St., Ukiah.

36th Annual Clear Lake Splash-In.

Aerial demonstrations & contests, aircraft displays, craft booths, t-shirts.

Thru Sept. 27. 8 a.m. Natural High School. 810 N. Main St., Lakeport. clearlakesplashin.com.

Saturday 26 FREE 23rd Annual Kelseyville Pear Festival. Hometown fun with craft

booths, art show, children’s activities, musicians, dancers & cloggers, horse

Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital

faire, antique tractor & engine exhibit & a pavilion showcasing all things “pear.” 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Main St., Kelseyville. See website for full schedule & venues.

279-9022. pearfestival.com.

Cabrillo Lighthouse Tour. A unique

opportunity to visit the Lantern Room & the last tour of the third order restored Fresnel lens. Allow time for the half-mile walk to the lighthouse.

Please note that children must be at least 42 inches tall to participate. $5. Tours from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Point Cabrillo Light Station. 45300 Lighthouse Rd., Mendocino. 937-6123. pointcabrillo.org.

4th Annual Laytonville Artwalk.

Events support youth in arts with local art & entertainment, face painting & kids’ zone. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Laytonville (throughout town). artsmendocino.org.

Not Just Cowboy Poetry. Apple Pie Thrown Down. Dave Stamey performs. Adults $25. Kids ages 5–12 $10. Five & under free. Benefits Willits Public Library & Daily Bread.

Tickets can be purchased at the library or by contacting cowboypoetry@ emandal.com. 2 p.m. pie judging. 3 p.m. concert. Arrive early to swim, enjoy the gardens, or picnic on the lawn. Emandal—A Farm on a River.

16500 Hearst Post Office Rd., Willits. emandal.com.

Sunday 27 Willits Welcomes New Hospital

M

endocino County is celebrating increased access to health care with the opening of the Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits on October 15, 2015. If you want a behind-the-scenes peak of the new digs, go to the Grand Open House on September 13, 1–4 p.m., for a tour.

The new hospital will offer private rooms with bathrooms, state-of–the-art operating rooms, a spacious emergency department with trauma bays, a helipad, and Roots—an organic farm-to-fork restaurant. ¶

28 MendoLakeFamilyLife

17th Annual Harvest Ride. Various

riding options: 100, 65, 62, 31, or 11 miles. 11-mile race geared toward families. See website for start times of each race. Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Ukiah. Fetzer Vineyard.

12901 Old River Rd., Hopland. harvestride.com.

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

Celebrate Native Peoples

H

Photo by Dennis Urbiztondo

onor the indigenous peoples who first walked these lands at the free Indian Day Celebration at Twin Pine Casino and Hotel in Middletown on September 19, noon–5 p.m. The day starts with a Pomo prayer, which will be followed by local costumed dance performances. Chow down on complimentary traditional Pomo Indian cuisine, such as Buffalo burgers and Indian tacos, while perusing handmade crafts. Call 987-1257 for more information. ¶

Marketplace Tutoring

Schools

Homework Help

Accelerated Achievement Academy

Homeschooling & Tutoring K-12

GET PAID TO WORK OUT

BE YOUR OWN BO$$ Jazzercise franchise opportunities available in Lake County

• Reading • Writing • Math • French

• • • •

Take Wing Tutoring

Free Public School Grades 4-12 Small classes Support for struggling students

Deborah Moore 510-332-9840 takewingtutoring@gmail.com

respect, and peace Located on north end of Fairgrounds PO Box 966 Ukiah 95482

707-462-0913 Give Your Give Child a Head Start!

Free Your & Low-Cost Quality Preschool! treeoflifeschool@pacific.net • Ukiah Child a classrooms forwww.treeoflifeschool.net ✓ 1/2-day & full-day North Ukiah - Bush St. ages 18 months to 5 years Nokomis - Washington Ave. Head South Ukiah - S. State St. ✓ Potty-trained not necessary Peach Tree - S. Orchard Ave. Start! ✓ Children with disabilities welcome • Willits

Jazzercise.com

mendo lake

✓ Referrals for transportation available Free & Low-Cost Quality Preschool!

Also providing FREE in-home services for 307 North State Street Ukiah

707-468-1300

www.mendolakefamilylife.com

integrated with academics

 National Green Campus  Promotes responsibility,

Childcare/Preschools

707-326-1291 Middletown Jazzercise

LOCAL

Tuition-free Montessori elementary for ages 5-13  Hands-on, arts and music

(707) 463-7080 1031 N. State St.

Affordable • Local • 20 Years Experience

Contact Beth Rudiger,

#1 local for 23 years resource for local families magazine • web • email • events

Schools

infants, toddlers & pregnant women!

Head Start Child Development Program

C E N T E R S

Health

Near Brookside School at Spruce St. & Lincoln Way

La Vida • Lake County

Upper Lake - 2nd Street Upper Lake - Clover Valley Lakeport - Howard Ave. Clearlake - Pearl Ave. Clearlake - Meadowbrook Dr.

www.ncoinc.org Head Start Charter School (707) 462-2582 Program License #230111843 Child Development • Free K-12 Public • CoastCharter

www.tutoringcenter.com

• Home Study Fort with Applications online: www.ncoinc.org • (707) 462-2582 Bragg - Lincoln St.

Like Us On Facebook September 2015

Waldorf Inspired Classes • WASC Accredited

707-459-6344 www.LaVidaSchool.org 16201 N. Hwy. 101, Willits

MendoLakeFamilyLife 29

Humor Break

The 7 Stages of Lunch Box Grief Make Peace with a Necessary Evil

By Holly Hester

S

hock No, no it can’t be. I just put you away. I remember it clearly. It was the last day of school, and I cleaned you out and shoved you in a drawer. What are you doing on the counter? Summer’s not over. If summer were over I’d have a perfect tan and rock hard abs from all the paddle-boarding classes I’d been taking. And since I’m still chalk white, muffin-topping over my sweatpants, and I haven’t even called the paddle-boarding place yet, summer can’t be over. So put yourself back in the drawer next to the other things I keep hidden like that ugly tablecloth my mother-in-law sent and my emergency PMS candy stash.

Denial I don’t have to make lunches this year. Someone else can do it.

Maybe my husband. No, he wouldn’t be a good choice. Last time he made lunches, he sent our son off to kindergarten with a wine cooler and a package of beer nuts. I’ll have to find someone more qualified to make lunches, like an escaped convict or a helper monkey. I’ll just walk into the kitchen every morning, the lunch boxes will be packed and my convict/ monkey will be waiting for me with a cup of coffee. I don’t know why I 30 MendoLakeFamilyLife

didn’t think of this sooner.

Anger Hey, lunch box! Why don’t you fill yourself! Just sprout arms out of your plastic sides and stuff yourself with a well-balanced meal! I’d like to see how many days in a row you can make a peanut butter and banana sandwich before going insane!

I hate you, school lunch. There, I said it.

Bargaining What if I pack a lunch three days a week and then I just don’t

I should want to pack a lunch. I mean, really. What kind of mother am I? send my children to school for the rest of the week? Or what if I make a really big lunch on Monday and let my kids figure out how to make the food last ‘til Friday? Okay, here’s my last offer. What if I do community service in exchange for not having to pack a lunch? You hand me the orange vest and the garbage tongs, and I’ll hand you the Antman lunch box. Deal?

Guilt I should want to pack a lunch. I mean, really. What kind of mother am I? I bet other moms are out there right now arranging vegetables in a smiley

face on a bagel and writing little notes that say, “Dear Timmy, My heart aches while we’re apart. Please enjoy this homemade Bundt cake I stuffed into your lunch box as well as a Haiku I wrote about the 50 states to help you on your test today. Love, Mom P.S. I made all the blood sausages myself.”

Depression I’m never going to be that kind of mom, so I’m just going to give up, dig out my PMS candy, and sit on the kitchen floor eating Charleston Chews until I puke. I wish my convict/ monkey was here to rub my back.

Acceptance Okay, school has started again. I get that now. I’ve accepted that I’m going to have to pack a lunch, so I might as well just grab some slices of bread and get to work. And who knows? Maybe I’ll enjoy making lunches this year. Maybe I’ll really get into it. Maybe I’ll become known for my lunches. Yeah, that’s it.

I’ll be known for my lunches, my rock hard abs, and my paddle boarding expertise.

This year is going to be totally different. I can feel it already. ¶ Holly Hester lives in Sebastopol and writes about life on her blog, Riot Ranch. Find her book, Escape from Ugly Mom Island!, on Amazon.

September 2015 www.mendolakefamilylife.com

mendo lake

LOCAL

#1 local resource for for 24 years local families

magazine • web • email • events

Now Accepting K-12 Registration

Ukiah Independent Study Academy Serving K-12

Flex Time & Days • Tailored Learning Eligible for UHS Sports • Middle College Opportunity College & Career Readiness • WASC Accredited

UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1000 Low Gap Rd., Ukiah • 707-472-5906

Give Start!

GiveYour Your Child Child a Head Head Start!

Free & Low-Cost Quality Quality Preschool!

Free & Low-Cost Preschool!

AlsoAlso providing FREE FREE in-home servicesservices for providing in-home infants, toddlers toddlers & pregnant& women! for infants, pregnant women!

Head Start Child Development Program License #230111843 Applicationsonline: online:www.ncoinc.org www.ncoinc.org••(707) (707)462-2582 462-2582 Applications

• Ukiah

C E NN TT EE RR SS

✓ 1/2-day & full-day classrooms for ✔ 1/2-day & full-day classrooms for ages 18 months to 5 years ages 18 months to 5 years ✓✔ Potty-trained not necessary Potty-trained not necessary ✓✔ Children with disabilities welcome Children with disabilities welcome ✓✔ Referrals for transportation available Referrals for transportation available

•North Ukiah Ukiah - Bush St.

North Ukiah - Bush St.

Nokomis - Washington Ave. Nokomis - Washington Ave. South Ukiah - S. State St. South Ukiah - S. State St. Peach Ave. PeachTree Tree--S.S.Orchard Orchard Ave.

• Willits

•Near Willits Brookside School at

Near Brookside School at

Spruce St. & Lincoln Way Spruce St. & Lincoln Way

• Lake County

•Upper Lake County Lake - 2nd Street Upper Lake - 2nd Street

Upper Lake - Clover Valley Upper Lake - Clover Valley Lakeport Lakeport- -Howard Howard Ave. Ave. Clearlake Pearl Clearlake - Pearl Ave. Ave. Clearlake Dr. Clearlake--Meadowbrook Meadowbrook Dr.

••Coast Coast

Fort St. FortBragg Bragg-- Lincoln Lincoln St.

free children’s health fair

Wild About Health Kids’ Challenge Course – In Memory of Sidney W. Maurer, MD

Health Screenings | Fun Activities | Prizes | Shriners Hospital Screening

Sunday October 4, 2015 FREE H ALT

HE NINGS E SCRE ildren h

for C

11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Alex Rorabaugh Center

Grace Hudson Elementary School campus 1640 S. State St., Ukiah Rain or Shine!

Bike Safety Course

Bring your bike & helmet Or receive a FREE helmet at the event

For children 0-12 and their families 707.467.5282 for more information Major Underwriters:

Connect with us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/FreeCHF