Cardboard Tube Fighting Competition! Sunday, 4pm

This Sunday at 4pm, the San Francisco Cardboard Tube Fighting League (I know, there really is one!) will be holding a FREE event at Corona Heights Park (this is the park near Randall Museum.) Tubes will be provided and there will be prizes for the winner(s) as well as a best cardboard costume contest. Costumes are strongly encouraged. Very cool.

My kids are going to LOVE this. Even though they recommend the event for the 5 and older crowd, there is nothing that will stop my almost 4 year old twin boys from tearing this up!

When: Sunday, Sept. 27, 4pm

Where: Corona Heights Park Roosevelt Way and Museum Way

FREE Outdoor Grease Sing-A-Long! Sat. 9/26 in the Presidio

Why it's GREASE LIGHTNING!!!
This Saturday the Presidio will be hosting a FREE outdoor screening of the 1978 musical GREASE. This is the sing-a-long version, which means they will have the words up on the screen during songs...sweet!

The movie starts at 7pm, but get there early to not only score a great spot, but also to enjoy a performance at 5:30 of Pi Clowns, a physical comedy troupe.

Location: On the lawn at the Main Post Theater - 99 Moraga Ave, near the Officer's Club.

FREE Family Kite Day: Sat. 9/19 & Sun. 9/20: Marina Green

This weekend there is a FREE Family Day Kite Festival that includes contests, performers, food, fun and (hopefully) sun!.

Spectacular kites can be seen flying high above the Marina Green—from the acrobatic kites of world champions to the hand-made entries of amateurs. Also, kite-flying, kite-boarding, kite-boating and lots of information and exhibits from renewable energy advocates and sustainability enthusiasts from all over the world.

Some of the contests include: Funniest, Biggest, Smallest, Longest Tail, Most Innovative, Best Ground Display, Most Beautiful & Best of Show.

When: Saturday & Sunday, September 19 and 20, 2009
Time: 11 am - 6 pm
Where: Marina Green (between Scott & Webster Sts along Marina Blvd.)

Transportation: San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) services the Marina Green. To plan your trip on public transit, visit Transit.511.org: Trip Planner or call 415.673.6864.

Parking: More than 600 free parking spaces are immediately adjacent to the Marina Green. Another 500 spaces are available at Crissy Field, 0.5 miles west of the Marina Green.

Free Circus: Sat. May 30: 12pm & 2:15; Yerba Buena Gardens

This Saturday, May 30, the Circus is coming to town! Circus Bella that is.
This FREE performance is part of the Yerba Buena Garden Festival.
There will be 2 shows: 12pm & 2:15. You can meet the performers after the 2:15 show.
Circus Bella is an outdoor, one-ring circus featuring high-level acts set to the sounds of the Bella All-Stars. The show combines contemporary performance with the rich tradition of the American Circus and features acrobatics, juggling, slackwire, beatboxing, eccentric performance, aerial artistry, and musical mastery.

The Picklewater Free Circus Festival: Sundays at Union Square

The Picklewater Free Circus Festival returns for its second year at Union Square. A FREE festival of circus arts featuring some of the best in Circus Arts from around the Bay Area, the festival will offer a mix of professional and student performers, free circus lessons and a wide variety of circus styles.

2 different acts will take the stage each Sunday starting at 2pm.

Green Apple Books! Some Free and Some Practically Free!

I love bookstores. My husband and I regularly have our "date night" in a bookstore. Spending an hour or two wandering around grabbing a selection of books to keep us busy for the next few weeks... Its a perfect evening as far as I'm concerned.

Green Apple Books, one of our favorites, has been around for over 40 years. They buy, sell, and trade new and used books, cds and dvds. They have been voted Best Bookstore in the Bay Area many times over and have 4.5 yelp stars with over 670 reviews!

Green Apple Books has a "FREE" box for books they can not use. It's filled and emptied and refilled throughout the day, mostly by people whose books they could not buy for whatever reason. They also have children's books on "remainder" (as-new books at less than half the original price). The owner told me that on Sunday mornings, the store is always full of parents buying remaindered kids books on their way birthday parties. So much better than a plastic peice of crap.

So lets see..... free books, low cost children's books and a place where you can sell your used books. Oh wait, the best part: SUPPORTING A LOCAL INDEPENDENT STORE. The more and more I learn about the importance of shopping locally, the more I am convinced that it is the single most important thing each of us can do to help right the economic conditions we find ourselves in.

Green Apple Books & Music
506 Clement Street (btw 6th & 7th)
Sunday - Thursday 10 am-10:30 pm
Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 11:30 pm
Book Buying Hours: 10-6 everyday, Tues & Wed until 8

HUGE Kids Consignment Sale: Sat. April 25: 9-3pm

Twice a year, the San Francisco Parents of Multiples Club holds a HUGE kids consignment sale. I can honestly say that I have gotten at least 75% of my family's gear, clothing & toys there. I am not exaggerating.

The next sale is this Saturday, April 25 from 9am-3pm. Its a new location this time. The Event Center at St. Mary's Cathedral, which is located at 1111 Gough Street, between Geary Blvd. and O'Farrell Street. The entrance to the Consignment Sale will be from the Gough St. side of the building on the ground floor. Plenty of parking!

It is literally a sea of clothing, strollers (both single and double), car seats, walkers, safety gates, maternity clothes, high chairs, swings, costumes, toys, books, dvds, bikes/trikes, cribs, packnplays, etc, etc, etc. It is amazing to see. AND EVERYTHING IS PRICED TO SELL. Also, they are pretty strict on what they accept (batteries installed and working, no stains/rips what so ever, etc)

They open to the public at 9am. Then take a quick break from 12:50-1:00 and when they reopen at 1pm nearly everything is 50% off.

There is a $1 entrance fee. However, if you print and bring this flyer with you, that entrance fee is waived.

All proceeds from the sale support the SFPOM club.

Saturday, April 25
9am-3pm
Event Center @ St. Mary's Cathedral
1111 Gough St (btw Geary & O'Farrell)

Open House/Happy Hour Every Friday at Speakeasy - KIDS OK!

Speakeasy is a local beer manufacturer (remember, support your LOCAL businesses!), that I hope you have had an opportunity to try. It's made right here in SF, but can be enjoyed across the country.

Every Friday, from 4-8, they open up their warehouse so you can drink directly from the source! This is a beer manufacturing facility - not a restaurant, micropub, bar. What does that mean for you? This is no frills, laid back, enjoy a damn good beer to wind down your week kind of place. What does it mean for me or any other parent? It means we can bring the kids since its not a bar. I miss happy hour so much, because it's hard to justify the cost of a sitter to get my early evening drink on! This solves that issue!

What else can I tell you:
Beer is $3 a pint (BARGAIN)
The local taqueria brings food for you to buy (this beer is strong, so eat up - and support another local merchant)
Mind Your Kids: Just cause they allow kids, does not mean everyone there wants to play with/watch/entertain your kids. Mind them as you know you should. They are still your responsibility.

SPEAKEASY ALES & LAGERS, Inc.
1195 Evans Avenue, Suite A
Every Friday 4pm-8pm

Free Kid Activities - Exploratorium & Library

It's Spring Break Week - so everyone is looking for kid bargains. The following are FREE thing to do with the kids!

1. The Exploratorium recently opened a bunch of outdoor exhibits at Fort Mason between Aquatic Park the Marina District. The 20 exhibits investigate everything from water and wind to sound and light.

2. The SF Public Library: I feel like all the libraries I visit (glen park, noe, excelsior, west portal) have some great kids programs. You should regularly check the library's website events listing. Be sure to check out the "Special Events", some of them are great. Tomorrow the Bubble Lady will be at the Excelsior Branch (4400 Mission @ Cotter - recently renovated) at 11:30. On Saturday, there is a Bonnet Making Arts & Crafts activity at the Main Library (you can walk across the street also and take a look at the Patrick Daugherty exhibit I wrote about on Monday - also free.)

Mani + Nanny: Book a Pedi & Get 50% off A Mani

I love the concept of this place. Childcare while you get a mani/pedi. You don't even have to reserve ahead. Just drop in.

The wee ones (6 weeks-6 years) will have a great time with the nanny in a new (translation: clean) toy-filled playroom. You can watch them via the flat screen in the salon or through the one-way window. All the nannies have experience with infants, so even the littlest ones will be in good hands! Right now they are having a promotion, get a pedi ($30) and your mani is only $10 (a 50% savings) - mention Hand-Spring for discount.

I know, I know, you can get a mani/pedi for $18 at the place on the corner, but this is so much nicer and the kids are entertained. childcare is $10 for the first and $5 for the second/third/fourth.....Also, if you are a card holding member of GGMG, you get 10% off everything all the time!

It's a great way to get a little ladies time with your girlfriends without having to arrange childcare.
Brilliant, truly brilliant.

mani+nanny
1722-1724 Divisadero St
(415) 673-6264

www.maniandnanny.com