#family-friendly-gatherings

#family-friendly-gatherings

Birthday parties are supposed to be fun, and they are, but they can also be hard work, not to mention very costly for parents.

A true wellness gathering is something far more ancient and far more urgent: it's any intentional space where humans are invited to arrive whole, body, mind, spirit, and leave more alive than when they walked in. That's it. That's the whole definition.

In frightening times, it makes a huge difference not to feel alone. Creating art with others in community enhances agency and strengthens self. Creativity requires an open heart; love enhances hope and diminishes fear.

I'm a relationship therapist because I really struggled in relationships. I didn't understand that vulnerability was a prerequisite for bonding. It was such a relieving awakening to realize that's where I would be loved the most: putting [my] worst foot forward. I think the kids call it full goblin mode. That really is it.

I noticed this shift in my own life when I started having dinner with my partner most nights, phones deliberately tucked away in another room. We made this change after too many evenings disappeared into "just checking one thing" that turned into hours of parallel scrolling. The difference was immediate and profound. Conversations went deeper. We actually looked at each other. Time seemed to stretch in the best possible way.

Step inside Don't Tell Dad and you're immediately greeted by a warm, low-lit vintage atmosphere. When we arrived, a funky soundtrack was drifting over dark wood floors, while super-comfy olive-green velvet banquettes, booths, and bar stools offered a front-row view of the kitchen in action. Wood panels with coloured glass windows, marble-topped tables set with linen napkins, and vintage cutlery and candle holders hint at 1930s Art Deco elegance, while oval mirrors and playful statement lighting reinforce the space's French bistro vibes.

All Ages Roving Puppets: Kids can dive into an underwater puppet adventure with fish, divers, and playful performances, from 10 am5 pm. Dance Party: Children can dance along to family-friendly hits and world music spun by DJ Suga Ray, from noon-3 pm Art Lab: Sound & Art Quest: Kids can explore sound and materials in a hands-on, creative space. Timed tickets are required.

Explore Southern Thai-Burmese fusion when James Beard Award-nominated and Michelin-recognized chef Arnold Myint takes up two-week residency at the Lazeaway Club to share recipes from his new cookbook; through Sunday February 15th. // Lazeaway Club, The Flamingo Resort and Spa, 2777 4th St. (Santa Rosa);reservations at opentable.com Keep up with more independedent flicks at the SF Indie Fest screening of Before the Call, which follows a Korean American who returns to Seoul and chooses to enlist in a search for what it means to belong;

Liberation wants to get you talking, and it gives you plenty to talk about. Whitney White's direction elicits a triumph of ensemble acting whose equipoise is a perfect realization of the play's own themes.

If you've got Monday off, get a head start on festivities honoring the Year of the Horse. Dig into Chinese cuisine at Empress by Boon, get lucky at Graton Resort and Casino, and party at Thrive City. Save some room for Fat Tuesday celebrations in the Mission and Bayview. It's also the return of Noise Pop, SF Beer Week, and the Black Choreographers Festival in case you need another reason to celebrate.

1. A cup holder snack tray converter so you can spend fewer road trips straining your arm while contorting it to hand individual Goldfish crackers from the front seat to the grabby hands in the back. 2. A pair of noise reduction ear muffs that'll cut back on the noise in your little's ears by 23 decibels and help muffle loud travel sounds, whether they're awake or asleep.

Dip into New York's Shinji's at True Laurel, a new concept from Square Pie Guys at Mago, and a Michelin-powered dinner at Songbird Parlour. For fans of blends and bubbles, check out the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes in San Jose, a celebration of oysters and bubbly wine in Mendo, or an afternoon of sparkling wine and wellness in Napa. Save some calendar space to close out SF Sketchfest. Jump ahead to this week's top events.

As summer school breaks stretch longer and childcare becomes harder to secure, some families are turning to an unexpected solution: hotels offering full-day, structured kids' camps that allow parents to travel, work and keep routines intact.

Our local guide covers popular family destinations across North Suffolk, West Suffolk, and both the South Shore and the North Shore. Suffolk County offers a mix of indoor and outdoor activities for kiddos and families. While you may need a car for this day-out-adventure, most places are organized by proximity so that you can reduce driving time. You can also extend it to a weekend getaway! There are plenty of things to do in Montauk

My dad would be up at dawn, not to prepare some elaborate feast, but to set up the treasure hunt he'd created using clues written on the backs of old envelopes. Each riddle led us kids to another spot in the house, building anticipation for modest gifts hidden in creative places. The whole thing probably cost him nothing but time and imagination, yet thirty years later, I remember those hunts more vividly than any expensive present I've ever received.

On a recent trip, my daughter and I were tossing her stuffed animal around the hotel room. The toy spun around near the ceiling and came to rest on the corner of the TV, high above our heads. My daughter pointed and tried to explain where the animal landed, on the, the, the ... she didn't have the word for "TV." Yep, we had to tell our 4-year-old what that big, black rectangle was called.

People say it takes a village to do difficult things: raise a child, sustain a community, build a barn. But we don't often talk a lot about what it takes to be a villager. What does it mean to not just be in a community, but to help create one? Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says the key is to put yourself out there, even if it's scary.

My husband Edwin comes from a big Colombian family, which is very different from the kind of environment I grew up in, and it leads to conflict between us. I had one sibling, a brother, but he passed away in a car accident when I was nine. My mum died a couple years ago. I grew up quite detached from my parents and was never that close to my father. As a result, I'm very independent and I like my own space.