MOMS Group Website *NOW* on Big Tent

We have officially transitioned our Lake Tahoe MOMS Group site to Big Tent. Please visit our Public page at http://www.bigtent.com/groups/ltmoms

The new Big Tent site offers MOMS members a playgroup calendar specific to the age of your child, an online forum for each playgroup, a forum for the Group at large (currently over 100 members strong), a monthly MOMS Night Out, a monthly "Playgroup Party" to which all playgroups can attend together, and we also calendar and post Community Activities in the area that may be of interest to young families and mother in particular.

To inquire further about our Group, you can also email our MOMS President, Jackie Peacock, at jcpeacock@gmail.com

We always welcome new faces and hope to meet you soon!!!

100 Members Strong!!

Exciting News! MOMS Group reached 100 Members today!!!!

We have been growing steadily each year, but this is the first time in the history of MOMS Group to reach triple digits! A big *Thank You* to all of you for joining our Group, signing up for our new Big Tent site this year, and being active members.

I have been a member of this organization for the past 4 years, have been President for the past 3, and my two children, my husband, and I have met some of our closest friends in town through participating and being involved -- and our relationships grow stronger every year.

Our MOMS Group mission is "to provide emotional, informative, and social support for families and children through playgroups, parties, and community events". I am so happy to see that so many mothers and families in such a small community are taking part in this group for our kids' sake, as well as for our own.

Many thanks again to you all for being a part of our Group's success!

Sincerely,
Jackie Peacock, MOMS President
jcpeacock@gmail.com

New MOMS Group Site!!

We are in the process of transitioning our Lake Tahoe MOMS Group to Big Tent. Please visit our Public Page at http://www.bigtent.com/groups/ltmoms and bare with us as we make this transition.

To inquire further about our group, you can also email our MOMS President, Jackie Peacock at jcpeacock@gmail.com

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

SPRING INTO SUMMER FAMILY PARTY: June 11th!

The MOMS Group annual Spring into Summer Party will be held June 11th from 4:30 - 8:30 PM

Don't miss this fun opportunity to get together with other Incline families.
Please email Jackie at jcpeacock@gmail.com to request an evite invitation.

Welcome New Babies!

Congratulations to the following MOMS members recently welcomed new little ones into their families:

Shane Kelley gave birth to Miles Hayden Kelley on October 8, 2010.
Sarah MacMahan gave birth to Salomon Crey McMahan on October 27, 2010
Melissa Mangiaracina gave birth to Kylie Maria Mangiaracina on November 2, 2010.
Haley Hart gave birth to Agnes June Hart on November 19, 2010.
Sari Rogoff gave birth to Zach Owen Rogoff on November 30, 2010.
Julie Lyons gave birth to Bella Lyons on December 15, 2010.
Lisa Nelson gave birth to Katie Lynn Nelson on January 17, 2011.

Grocery Store Tour

January Playgroup Party

Upcoming Holiday Events!

Hello MOMS!

Here are a few upcoming local holiday events.
We definitely live in a Holiday Winter Wonderland!
ENJOY!!

*************

Nov 25th - Cal Neva Tree Lighting ceremony with Christmas Carols and Santa, 5-7 PM

Nov 26th - 28th - Ornament Painting Contest, Truckee, Noon, www.tpotspottery.com

Nov. 30th: MOMS Night Out at Tomaatos, 5:30 PM. 15% Discount!

Dec. 1 - Hanukkah Holiday Story Time at the Incline Library, 4 -5 PM

Dec. 2 - Tree Lighting Ceremony at Sierra Nevada College on the patio of Patterson Hall: Carols, Music, Refreshments, International Tree Display, Cookie Decorating, Holiday Crafts, Pottery Sale, SANTA! Free. 4-6 PM

Dec. 2 - 5 - Festival of Trees and Lights in South Lake Tahoe: Family Night, Teddy Bear Breakfast, Polar Express Ride, and more!
www.festivaloftreeslaketahoe.org/events/index.php


** Dec. 2, Dec. 9, & Dec. 16 - Noel Nights ice skating at the Village at Northstar and other resort festivities, 5-8 PM
http://www.tahoeculture.com/events/north-shore-events/northstar-noel-nights-dec-2-16/

Dec 2nd & 4th- Sierra Nevada Community Choir Holiday Concert, 7-9 PM

Dec 4th - MOMS Holiday Party at the Hamilton's house, 4:30 - 8:30 PM
www.evite.com to RSVP!

Dec. 8 - Christmas Holiday Story Time at the Incline Library, 4 - 5 PM

Dec 11th - Brunch with Santa at the Chateau - 9 - 11 AM and noon - 2 PM
Tickets available at the Potlatch, the Parasol Building, and the Rec. Center http://www.cciv.org/santa

Dec 12th - "Sounds of the Season" at The Resort at Squaw Creek, 2 PM www.gotahoenorth.com/events/sounds-of-the-season---truckee-tahoe-community-chorus-concert-2010-12-11.html

Dec. 14th - MOMS Trip to the "Peanutcracker" (45-minute performance by the Sierra Nevada Ballet, narrated) at the Pioneer Center in Reno, 10 AM.
$5 Tickets! Email our "Care Chair" MOM Jamie at jlwinter@inclinelaw.com to reserve seats!

Dec 18th - Project Mana's annual Food/Coat Drive at the King Beach Convention Center - cans, volunteers, or cloth donations needed. (follow up e-mail to follow on MOMS role in this).

******

For further North Lake/Truckee holiday happenings check out, www.gotahoenorth.com/events?p=2

For a medley of Reno Holiday activities and performances and concerts, go to http://renotahoe.about.com/od/artsentertainment/a/christmas.htm

For South Lake's Holiday happenings go to http://www.tahoesbest.com/Calendar/december1.htm


HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

Happy Halloween! (Photos)

Halloween Playgroups 2010

(Click on photo above to view the album.)

Graduation BBQ, August 2010

Good Luck in Kindergarden, Totally Tots!

And a big WELCOME to the Bear Cubs Playgroup!

(click on image to enlarge)

Come Out and Play!

Playgroups provide an ideal environment for fostering your child's development through play, and "play" is the way children learn about themselves and the world. It is through play that children learn to get along with others and to sort out conflicts. It is through play that children practice their language skills and develop their motor skills. Play encourages children's independence, self-esteem, creativity, sociability skills, and it gets their energy out! It also gives children a much needed “down time” and functions as a stress reliever. While structured activities are a part of growing up, it is through play that children develop who they are.

So playgroups are good. But what makes a good playgroup? Simply put, activity and involvement.

There is no question that a successful playgroup depends on the effort and participation of its members. Membership involvement in every group is important and appreciated. Offering opinions and assisting in making decisions about the direction in which you would like to see your group go will only add to its success.

So whether you're still ironing out the crinkels of parenthood on a daily basis, or you're an experienced mommy-guru whom many of us look up to and admire, playgroups are as equally important to us all. I hope parenthood is treating you well and I hope you and your chilrdren can come out and play!

M.O.M.S. Babysitting Co-op

General Information:


Each member receives 30 hours worth of cards in one, one-half, and one-quarter hour increments. She pays whoever babysits her children with these cards—a one-hour card for one child per hour and a one-half hour card for each additional child per hour.


All co-op members receive membership lists from their co-ops which contain the name, address and phone number of each member, their children's names and ages, an emergency number and the name and phone number of the children's doctor. Some lists may include the number of the poison control center or columns designating members who may be willing to babysit evenings and weekends.

Please contact Karin if you are interested in joining the M.O.M.S. Babysitting Co-op:  karin0318@aol.com

Welcome Message: 2010-2011

Hi Everyone!

The 2009-2010 school year was an extremely successful one for M.O.M.S. ("Mothers Offering Mothers Support") Group! As was our initial goal at the beginning of last year, in addition to individually set Playgroup meeting dates, M.O.M.S. was able to schedule a Playgroup Party and MOMS Night Out every month, host three seasonal Family Parties, (each of which had very impressive attendance!), participate in charitable events in the community, and keep MOMS informed with relative family and child-oriented information throughout the year through our Google Groups email address and blog-formatted website. (www.laketahoemoms.com)

At our most recent Board meeting, we made the decision to slightly increase the M.O.M.S. Group fee for the year to $30/child, and $10 for each additional child. The money will continue to go toward sponsoring get-togethers, parties and events for our group. All dues should be paid to your child's Playgroup Leader no later than October 15th, 2010.

M.O.M.S. would like to welcome the BEAR CUBS, our newest Playgroup members (0-1 year) and their tired Mommies ... as well as all of the new MOMS who have expressed interest in joining our group this year. We are happy to have you join us! And Good Luck to the Totally Tots Playgroup as they head off to kindergarden this year!

A few people to Thank:

• Emmanuelle Macdonald for volunteering on the M.O.M.S. Board as the Totally Tots Playgroup Leader for the past 5 years!!!
• Shena Winslow for accepting the Board member position as the Bear Cubs Playgroup Leader.
• Michelle Nowicki for volunteering on the Board as Membership Coordinator for the past 5 years!!!
• Sara Cushing for accepting the Board member position of Membership Coordinator.
• Jamie Winter for accepting the NEW "Care Chair" position on the Board.

I am really looking forward to my second year serving as President to such a wonderful group of MOMS and children!

Sincerely,
Jackie Peacock
MOM to Chloe (Little Twig) and Drew (Bear Cub)

Summer Camps

Summer Sign-up Day
Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 8 for the Tahoe City PUD Parks and Recreation annual walk-in registration day for Camp Skylandia, Swim Lessons, and our Sailing Program. Residents can register from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and non-residents from 9:30 am to 10:30 am. Please bring proof of residency. If you're not able to attend you can fax or mail in your registration form and we will get you registered after all walk-ins are completed. Forms are available on our website at www.tahoecitypud.com under the the Parks and Recreation tab's register page. If you have any questions, please call 583-3440, ext. 10.

You can see more about the camps at tahoecitypud.com/download/parksrec/2010catalog.pdf
Camp Skylandia offers camps for preschoolers, rising kindergarteners and grade school children. I recommend signing up the kids with a friend. It is not far (Dollar Point area) but nice to split the driving.

Camp Invention
For kids entering first grade and up, Camp Invention will be at Incline Elementary the week of June 28-July 2.

Playgroup Party, Kidzone

Fresh Baked Bread: 5 Minutes a Day

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread By Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

The Secret: Keep Dough Refrigerated. It is easy to have fresh bread whenever you want it with only five minutes a day of active effort. Just mix the dough and let it sit for two hours. No kneading needed! Then shape and bake a loaf, and refrigerate the rest to use over the next couple weeks. Yes, weeks! The Master Recipe (below) makes enough dough for many loaves. When you want fresh-baked crusty bread, take some dough, shape it into a loaf, let it rise for about 20-50 minutes, then bake. Your house will smell like a bakery, and your family and friends will love you for it.


The Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf) Makes 3-4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water


1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)


1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt


6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, white flour 
(or 4 c whole wheat, 2-1/2 c white plus 3 tablespoons honey added to water mixture)

Cornmeal for pizza peel


The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means “ball”) is the easiest to master. You’ll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won’t retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you’ll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.

Keep your dough wet — wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.


Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

On Baking Day

5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. The bottom of a cookies sheet works too.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

For more details go to http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx (this is page one of 9)

Winter Classes in Truckee

For more information on all classes, call or email Ruth Hall:
587-2513 EXT 110
ruth@truckeefrc.org

TODDLER GYM TIME: Toddlers, 1-3 years old, and their parents enjoy free play in the big gym with an exciting array of exciting developmental equipment. Have fun, meet new friends and build new skills. Ongoing classes follow the school schedule. Starts up again January 6: Wednesdays, 10-Noon.

FAMILY MUSIC WITH TODD WEES: Children birth to 4 and their parents enjoy this freewheeling sing and dance-along with local musician, songwriter and singer, Todd Wees.
Classes offered on Tuesday mornings and Wednesdays. See him in action at http://www.toddwees.com/ Classes start the week of January 10.

BABY AND ME: These popular classes provide education, support, informal discussion and interactive fun for parents and non-ambulatory infants, 3 months to 1 year old.taught by Jen Lang-Ree, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, this series of 7 classes is $84.00. Classes start january 15.

“LOVING SOLUTIONS” PARENTING CLASSES: for parents of children ages five to ten years.
This 7-week series will provide education and tips to help parents build their skills through easy techniques. Parents will gain practical and emotional support from a trained facilitator and fellow parents and they will be able to start using tools at home after the first session! See flyer and class description. Taught by Early Childhood Education Professional, Susan Bower, the series begins Thursday, January 21, evenings 5:30-7:30. Child care is available. $125 per family, workbook and materials included.

Family Resource Center of Truckee offers scholarship assistance.
You can find a link to class registration forms on the Family Resource Center of Truckee website
http://truckeefrc.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39599
Check out all that the FRC has to offer. There are lots of way the FRC is helping local families and ways you can help the FRC

Press!

Thank you to Jean Eick and the Tahoe Bonanza for the nice article!  We appreciate the publicity!

http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20091216/NEWS/912169991/1061/rss

December Activites!

Contributed by (and thank you to...) Courtney Hamilton, MOMS VP and Little Twig mom.

****

Incline Village and the greater Tahoe region really embraces the December holiday season! Perhaps having Santa Claus (his legal name) as a resident (http://www.thesantaclausfoundation.org/home.html) really inspires us! Some (mostly) family friendly activities (and I’m sure this isn’t complete):

• Gingerbread Village Unveiling & Grand Tree Lighting Ceremony, The Resort at Squaw Creek (Nov 27) 5 pm to 8 pm. View the unveiling of the Gingerbread Village and enjoy the Grand Tree Lighting Ceremony with Santa and Mrs. Clause. The evening will be highlighted by a visit with Olympic skating legend Peggy Fleming. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for Tahoe Women's Services. For more information please go to www.squawcreek.com
• Breakfast with Santa at Squaw Creek, included in price of breakfast. Every Saturday and Sunday starting November 28, every day December 19-24.
• Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Saturdays November 28, December 5, 12, 18 from 3-4pm in Mountain Buddies at Squaw Creek $5. Also Children’s Holiday Crafts same location (time??)
• Stories with Mrs. Claus in the Squaw Creek Lobby. Saturdays November 28, December 5, 12, 18 7-8pm.
• Tahoe Players 101 Dalmatians Live Theatre, Cal Neva Resort (Nov 29) 2 pm & 6 pm. Disney's 101 Dalmatians Live theater show is fun for the whole family. See the show in the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Showroom at the Cal Neva Resort. Pre-show milk and cookies at 1 pm and a presentation by Pet Network on pet adoption. Call Tahoe Players for tickets 775.831.0379 or visit www.calnevaresort.com
• Holly-Days Jubilee, Tahoe City (Dec 1 to Dec 20) All Day. A host of holiday activities for the entire family throughout downtown Tahoe City. Visit our website for updated list of local events. www.visittahoecity.com
• 5th Annual Community Tree Lighting at IVGID Rec Center (Dec 2) 5:15pm. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Parasol Community Collaboration Giving Program.
• 30th Annual Toys for Tots Kickoff Party, Incline Village (Dec 2) 6 pm to 9 pm. Coldwell Banker Incline Village Realty and United States Marine Corps Reserve of Reno are proud to present their 30th Annual community fundraiser. Featuring: DJ, Dancing, Santa Claus and Raffle Prizes! The Chateau, 955 Fairway Blvd., Incline Village. Admission is one NEW unwrapped toy
• Christmas Tree Village Chamber Mixer (Dec 4 time – early evening) Visit with Santa, mingle in the stores with snacks and drinks.
• Annual Community Tree Lighting, Incline Village (Dec 3) 4 pm to 6 pm. Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV, invites the community to attend its second annual Tree Lighting, at Patterson Hall on the lawn area, December 3rd, from 4-6pm. This family-friendly event will feature holiday crafts and activities and the lighting of the tree. Don't miss out on the fun.
Come join us for our second annual Tree Lighting. www.sierranevada.edu
• 24th Annual Holiday Concert, Incline Village, NV (Dec 3 at 7 pm, Dec 5 at 7pm) The Sierra Nevada College Concert Choir, under the direction of Donna Axton, will be performing Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols" and other seasonal music during its 24th Annual Holiday Concert. The performance will take place at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, Incline Village, NV, on December 3rd, at 7pm. Tickets are available at the door; pre-sale tickets are available at the Potlach, the SNC book store and Pablo's Gallery in Tahoe City. www.sierranevada.edu
• Noel Night in the Village at Northstar (Dec 3, Dec 10, Dec 17) 5 pm to 8 pm. Enjoy s’mores by the fire, free ice skating, hot cocoa, shopping specials, holiday carolers, photos with Santa and more. This Noel Night will include our annual tree lighting ceremony. www.northstarattahoe.com
• Tahoe City Downtown Tree Lighting (Dec 4) Dusk. Get in the spirit of the season and see Tahoe City's beautiful new 15' tree at the annual town lighting ceremony at Heritage Plaza. Refreshments and fun for all. www.visittahoecity.com
• Annual Holiday Fair & Tree Lighting Ceremony at North Lake Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach (Dec 4) 5 pm to 8 pm. Join Santa at the North Tahoe Event Center to light the Kings Beach community tree. Holiday Fair opens at 5:30 with refreshments, caroling and holiday shopping opportunities. Sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, NTPUD and the NTBA.
www.NorthTahoeBusiness.org
• Tahoe Maritime Museum Annex Open House, Truckee (Dec 5) 10 am - to 5 pm. Join Museum staff at the Truckee Annex for an indepth look at vessels and artifacts not currently on display at our Homewood facility. FREE admission with a toy donation for Toys for Tots. $5 for Adults, Members and Children < 12 are Free. The Truckee Annex is located at 10424 River Park Place, Truckee CA.
• Family Winter Wonderland with Santa, Tahoe City (Dec 5) 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Visit Santa and have your holiday pictures taken with Lake Tahoe as the stunning backdrop. Hot drinks and other treats at the Heritage Plaza. www.VisitTahoeCity.com
• Trashion Art Show & Story of Stuff Screening, IVGID Incline Village (Dec 5) 4:00pm - 5:30pm. This holiday season we encourage you to look at STUFF differently. You like STUFF? Want to know where STUFF comes from? Where STUFF goes when it turns to trash? How about what amazing things you can do with trash? Join us for an art reception featuring 'upcycled' art and trashion creations, along with a screening of the 20 minute film The Story of Stuff. Stay for demos on how to make your own wrapping paper, bows, and more, using trash. Brought to you by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, IVGID, Sierra Nevada College, and Truckee High's Envirolution Club. This event is free. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Location: Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, Sierra Nevada College campus
• The Potlatch 5th Annual Holiday Party, Incline (Dec 5) 10 am to 6 pm
Join us for our 5th Annual Holiday Party! Silver and gold jewelry, bath and body supplies, Christmas items, lodge style kitchen and home decor, moccasins, toys and cards. Wine and Hors d'oeuvres will be served. www.potlatchlaketahoe.com
• 24th Annual Holiday Concert, Squaw Valley (Dec 6) 3:00pm . The Sierra Nevada College Concert Choir, under the direction of Donna Axton, will be performing Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols" and other seasonal music during its 24th Annual Holiday Concert. The performance will take place at Squaw Valley Chapel, Squaw Valley, CA, on December 6th, at 3:00pm. Tickets are available at the door; pre-sale tickets are available at the Potlatch, the SNC book store and Pablo's Gallery in Tahoe City. www.sierranevada.edu
• MOMS Holiday Party! (Dec 5, 4:30-6:30) Speak with your playgroup leader if you haven’t received an evite yet for this rockin’ holiday event for parents and their children. Dinner, visit with Santa, crafts and general merriment.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Incline Village library, presented by In-Tune Tales. (Dec 8, 4pm).
• Brunch with Santa at the Chateau. (Dec 12 9-11am or 12-2pm). Magician, raffles, arts and crafts, tasty food, photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus. $
• Chanukah Celebration (Dec 13 5-8pm at the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation). Brisket & Latke Dinner along with RAFFLE to benefit the Religious School. Games and other children’s activities. $ RSVPs a must - taken by phone or email to: Rose rloglo@charter.net 530 546-2559 or Pam pdickermn@yahoo.com 650-352-5216
• Classically Christmas - TTCC Holiday Performance at The Resort at Squaw Creek, Squaw Valley (Dec 12) 7pm, Dec 13 @ 4pm. The Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus of Sierra College, directed by Susan K. Horst, Chris Nelson, and Tom Acord, presents “Classically Christmas” at The Resort at Squaw Creek, Squaw Valley, USA in the Alpine Ballroom. Saturday, December 12th at 7pm and Sunday, December 13th at 4pm. The concert has become a tradition in the Truckee, North Tahoe region, ushering in the holiday season with light holiday classics, an audience sing along, and joyous classic literature. The chorus and strings will feature Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and selections from Handel’s Messiah. www.squawcreek.com
• Classical Guitar Holiday Concert, Thunderbird Lodge Incline Village, NV (Dec 13) 3 pm to 6 pm. Classical Guitar Holiday Concert at the picturesque Thunderbird Lodge featuring the sounds of the Sierra Nevada Guitar Society and the talented Triada Trio. Enjoy a walk-through tour of Thunderbird Lodge decked out in seasonal décor followed by our holiday concert. Ticket price includes shuttle transportation, walk-through tour and intermission appetizers. No children under 6 years of age. Tour Starts at 3 p.m. and the Concert starts at 4 p.m. You can book online at www.thunderbirdlodge.org.
• December 12-13 - Santa Train, Carson City Take your tiny and not-so-tiny tots on a train ride with Santa. First departure is at 9am. The train will depart continuously throughout the day as soon as Santa and all his guests board the train until the last departure at 4pm. All seats are $2.00. Tickets are cash only and may be purchased at the Depot. Hot dogs, hamburgers and beverages will be available for purchase from the Elk's Lodge #2177 food stand in front of the Depot.
• Holiday Festivities in the Village at Northstar (Dec 19 to Dec 24) 12 pm to 2:30 pm. From 12/19 through 12/24 we will have live music in the Village and Santa will be in a different Village location each day from 12:00pm to 2:30pm to take pictures with kids. His locations are: 19th Ambassador Toys, 20th Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, 21st Farrah Rale, 22nd Villager Candle, 23rd Freckles and 24th Mine. www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com
• Youth Holiday Classes (Dec 19) Ages 6-10. Sign up for Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, Rudolf’s Restaurant and Frosty’s Craft Workshop. $
• The Nevada Shakespeare Company Presents: A Christmas Carol, The Resort at Squaw Creek (Dec 19) 7:30 pm. Please join us for the perennial holiday favorite. Held in the Alpine Ballroom. For more information please visit www.laketahoeshakespeare.com
• TOCCATA "Messiah" Performance, Resort at Squaw Creek (Dec 20) 3 pm The Orchestra and Community Choral Artist of the Tahoe Area (TOCCATTA) will be performing "Messiah" in the Resort at Squaw Creek Ballroom. Children under 12 are free with a paying adult. For more information call 775-313-9697
• Turtleneck Tuesday in the Village at Northstar (Dec 22, Dec 29) 5 pm to 8 pm. Join us for Turtleneck Tuesdays on the ice rink in the Village at Northstar™ every Tuesday through the end of March. We’ll have all of your favorite music playing from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Skate rental available, bring your own skates and skate for free. www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com
• Fire & Ice New Year's Eve Celebration at Northstar (Dec 31) Evening. Celebrate New Year’s Eve with all of your friends at the Village at Northstar with live music, fire dancers, ice skating, hot cocoa, s’mores and a very special and entertaining fireworks show! www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com

Keep your eyes out for more. In past years, more fun activities appear throughout the month!

Pine Nutz Playgroup, November 2009

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Which Fruits and Veggies Should We Buy Organic?

Submitted by Michelle Nowicki (Totally Tots)

As moms we try to give our children the best, especially when it comes to food. When you think about it, we provide our families with 3 meals per day (plus snacks) for 365 days per year or 1,095 meals per year. Yikes! That is a lot of food and potentially a lot of time buying, storing, preparing, eating, and cleaning up food. No wonder I spend so much time thinking about food (plus I love to eat!). I try to buy organic produce where I can since it is better for my family and for the environment and I find that most organic foods taste better. But, I can’t afford to buy 100% organic every time I shop. What to do?

I try to shop strategically. Some fruits and vegetables have a lot more pesticides than others. These are the ones that I try to buy organic. Others have very little to no pesticides and so I don’t worry as much
about buying organic. According to the Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org), we can reduce our pesticide exposure by as much as 90% by avoiding the most contaminated and eating more of the least contaminated fruits and vegetables. If you get your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables from the 15 most contaminated, you could consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. If you get your RDA from the 15 least contaminated conventionally grown produce you could consume less than 2 pesticides daily. I really happen to love some of the high pesticide fruits and vegetables (e.g., strawberries, spinach) so I reduce my pesticide intake by buying these organic where it is not cost prohibitive.

Here are a couple of lists to guide you in making healthy choices for your family:

1) The ''Dirty Dozen”: these consistently have the highest levels of pesticides and would warrant
buying organic or avoiding:
· peaches
· apples
· sweet bell peppers
· celery
· nectarines
· strawberries
· cherries
· pears
· imported grapes
· spinach
· lettuce
· potatoes

2) These have the least amount of pesticides:
· onions
· avocados
· frozen sweet corn
· pineapples
· mangoes
· asparagus
· frozen peas
· kiwi
· bananas
· cabbage
· broccoli
· papayas