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www.ParentingOC.com 6 Parenting OC Magazine | March 2017 From the Editor By Sascha Zuger Planning a summer can be stressful. It can also seem like so far away, we have pleeeeenty of time before we have to worry about it. But then comes Spring Break traveling. And squeezing in that last weekend at Mammoth. And then comes the start of the new sports season and soccer cleats and baseball pants and lacrosse bags and volleyball kneepads that fit on those growing bodies have to be secured. And then comes Easter, hopping right around the corner. Before you know it, all the earlybird deals for camp have long since flown the coop and your karat'ay-loving kid better get on board with learning chess, because that is what still has spot on at the community center. Summer seems months and months away, until it doesn't. Much like any sort of dread chore, it is way easier to put nailing down plans off for an- other day, any other day, than deal with it today. It isn't that summer isn't fun, it is just that summer planning…is…not…fun. If you have more than one kiddo, you have to organize childcare or supervision or playdates or whatnot on different schedules according to their ages and levels of responsibility. If you have only one kid, you have to really amp up the social time so they don't go stir crazy or spend their break on a screen of some sort. If you have more than three kiddos…my goodness how do you do that! (*Does 'I'm not worthy' bow*). Sorry, if you have more than three kids, there's likely a whole other world of budget realities when planning activities and camps and enrichment programs to fill up the dog days. Not fun. We get it. So we are trying to help. We tracked down 60 or so of the best camps, sports acade- mies, camp programs for kids of all abilities, etc. and arranged for the counselors and directors to all come to the same place on one Saturday to make sure your kids get access to all the crafts and campfire songs and s'mores and nature walks and friend-bonding they could want. I always found one of the most daunting things in making the final call on which camp was best, was that an online registration form and a brief hour or so at drop-off never really let me get to know and ease into a relationship with the camp, and those who were running it. If you are picking just one organized something for your child, you want to make sure it is not only a comfortable and safe place that lets you relax while they are not in your care, but someplace they can have a blast. We solved that problem, too. You can bring the kids. They can size up the camp, see the pho- tos from past summers, chat with counselors to get a good idea of what it will be like, and best of all know a friendly face will be waiting when they arrive. You will both rest easier knowing there is nothing but fun ahead. When they get tired of the adult blah-blah, thanks to the folks at GiGSalad, they can get their facepainted by Linda Amato, get a balloon creation by Bridget's Balloons, or trade bad jolly roger jokes with Hank the Pirate. Or they can visit and take a photo with their favorite royal friend from Le Petit Princesse. Or they can corral their sibs and take on the Family Scavenger Hunt challenge with a chance of winning free weeks of camp and over $4,000 in prizes. So come out and say "Hi!" at our Jamboree at the Cube on March 4, 10-2pm. And while you're out, stay for the afternoon. Not only do parents get to spend quality face time visiting over 60 booths featuring area activities workshops, sports programs, ranches, summer day camps and sleep- aways with their kids, but the family gets to enjoy a day of science and exploration afterward thanks to a free Discovery Cube OC admission for the kid- dos (see www.parentingoc.com). (Then you can leave feeling all smug that you don't have to think any more about summer until it is time to enjoy it…we won't tell.) Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief Randall Tierney Editor Sascha Zuger Contributing Writer Linda Vujnov Calendar Editor Michael Berick Social Media Editor Jennifer Hulick Marketing and Event Coordinator Ricklyn Hukriede Interns William Olivieri John Carusillo Art Director & Webmaster Kevin Yoshimasu Photography Ana Brandt Graphic Artist Eva Lempert ADVISORY BOARD Family Therapist Consultant Matt Fleischman, LMFT Marriage & Families Mark Waller Ph. D. LMFT ADHD Dr. Stephen Ferrari Cultural Enrichment Genevieve Barrios Southgate Community Outreach, Bowers Kidseum Private Education Dr. Ron Reynolds California Association of Private School Organizations ADVERTISING SALES 714-630-4510 Media Sales Director, North County Jennifer Murrietta (ext. 2) Media Sales Director, Central OC Lisa Zimmerer (ext. 3) Media Sales Director, South County Belinda Cushing (ext. 1) NATIONAL / OUT-OF- COUNTY SALES Randall Tierney (ext. 8) Parenting OC is published monthly by Tierney Publishing, Inc. and is delivered throughout Orange County. © 2013 Orange County Parenting Magazine March 2017 | Vol. 32 Issue 3 Sascha Zuger Editor Sascha@parentingoc.com