Monstrous Summer fun kicks off this Friday at Disney Parks with a 24-hour, nonstop event. Disneyland and California Adventure – and Disney World in Orlando, for those on the East Coast – will be open 24 hours beginning at 6 a.m. this Friday. That’s not all, Disneyland is unveiling an all-new, all-ages live show in Fantasyland this Saturday.

The 24-hour Monstrous Summer event will get everyone into the spirit of the upcoming film Monsters University, set to be released June 21. Both Disneyland and California Adventure will be open from 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday. This won’t be like the old school Grad Nights: expect a lot of people. On one hand, big crowds, on the other, riding Radiator Springs Racers  at 3 a.m. You can sleep for the rest of the weekend…

…Or you can make it to the Fantasyland Theatre for Mickey and the Magical Map, featuring Disney’s perfect blend of live-action and theatrical technology. The show follows a curious Apprentice Mickey, who taps into his map’s magical powers, taking the audience on a fantastic journey to any place imaginable. The show features beloved Disney characters and music. With five performances daily, the show will fit into any schedule. Sometimes young kids cannot stay up for fireworks, making the daytime shows a great place to experience top notch Disney storytelling.

Mickey and the Magical Map will join Fantasy Faire, a new themed area with Disney Princess encounters and two live shows based on favorite princess stories.

The new live shows are a welcome addition. Not only are they entertaining, they are a great place when younger kids (or maybe adults) want a change of pace from the rides. Sit back and let Disney take you on an adventure of classic stories retold with a fresh twist.

Photo by Paul Auyeung/Disneyland

The Greatest Show and Tell on Earth, the Maker Faire, did not disappoint with the amount of creativity on display in one space. There were a lot of people in attendance this year – A LOT – and it was hot, but that only meant the organic lemonade was that more refreshing. Old favorites were there, like the Mentos fountain (more shows next year, please) and the Mousetrap, and there were plenty of new things, too.

The pneumatic robots, the Sticker Boyz, who are a group of friends from Palo Alto High School, local favorite company Sifteo, and the Death Defying Pedal Car Races, in which the loser ends up in a dunk tank.

My kids made musical horns, soap, shot rubber band guns, played a live action version of Minecraft, and bought felt animals with their own money. We had to look at every booth before they decided where to spend their money. It was a weighty decision that included a long list of pros and cons before making a decision.

It was another great day with enough inspiration to last until next year.

The Maker Faire is insanely, incredibly awesome. The day has four main emotions: first, the awesomeness washes over you upon entering, as you see all of the colors, ideas, and nerdiness in its glory; second, the adrenaline hits as you moving to and fro the booths and demos you want to see; third is inspiration, as you feel ideas pop into your head or merely the overwhelming feeling to set aside time in your regular life to be creative; and fourth, pure exhaustion. You will arrive back to your car, train, or home, and want to collapse.

How do you best navigate this special day or weekend with kids?

1. Be early or late. Mid-day is most crowded, which means it’s best to get there early, preferably just after opening time to miss the huge line to get inside. The converse is to go in the afternoon when crowds start to head out, leaving much more room in the halls or room to get hands-on or to talk to the makers themselves. The afternoon option is especially best if you have two days at the faire.

2. Eat lunch early. If you’re spending the whole day at the Maker Faire, grab lunch early. The food lines suddenly go from sparse to long in a flash. Get that corn dog or jambalaya early, then see the exhibits while the large crowds are eating. Bring water, and maybe light snacks, too.

3. Plan before you go. Look at the schedule and the map to pick the booths you most want to see and the talks you most want to attend. The talks are full of inspiration and good ideas. Don’t overlook them. Plus, they are a great place to take a break in the shade. If you want to see the Mousetrap, get there early to get a spot where kids can see. Or else, expect to put them on your shoulders.

4. Make a meet up plan. Write your cell phone number on your child’s arm, and make a plan of where to meet, if you get separated. It’s loud, which makes cell phones hard to hear, making that back up meeting place crucial. Set a new meeting spot after entering each new zone.

5. Set a budget before you go. Kids want everything at the Maker Faire, but much of it costs money, like soap making, Lego figures, science kits, and more. If you have a child who begs, talk about limits before you go.

There is something for all ages, even young kids, who can check out hands-on activities in the Maker Camp area, build cardboard fortresses in the DIY section, help make giant bubbles, get inspired by young makers, like Super Awesome Sylvia, add Legos to the Lego Jeep, and even pick up some new skills. Accept that you aren’t going to see everything in one day, but that’s okay. Have fun!

One of the most family friendly festivals is happening this weekend in San Carlos, beginning with live music on Friday night. The San Carlos Hometown Days take over downtown and the Burton Park area, with a people parade Saturday morning and a pet parade on Sunday. In between there is something for everyone, from a pony rides and a petting zoo to a beer garden.

The weekend kicks off with music from San Carlos students, including a high school battle of the bands, from 5 – 7:30 p.m. on the grassy field. Saturday begins with the main parade, followed by music, food, kids activities, art displays, and more. Sunday has the pet parade, old fashioned games, and other fun activities. Ongoing attractions include the beer garden (with Devil’s Canyon beer!), games, a rock wall, giant slides, a zipline, and an obstacle course. Events both days run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The entire event is volunteer-run, funded through donations and sponsorships and is aimed at building community through fun. Admission is free

There is a tree house high up up in the sky at my kids’ school, which to reach, you must scale a grounded wreaking ball, shimmy up a rope, transfer to another rope to climb, then pull yourself up into the house. I hate this tree house. There is not age minimum to climb due to the expectation that kids cannot make it up until they are ready to be up there, which typically is grade fifth or sixth. My daughter is a fifth grader and she recently got really angry with me when I declined to watch her show me how much progress she’s made in climbing up to the tree house. There are certain things I do not want to know about. I’m afraid of heights and anything happening to my two babies, and this cloud-high tree house brings both of those fears together into a erupting volcano of anxiety.

When my daughter got mad at my refusal, she yelled that I was transferring my anxiety to her. She was probably right, even though I’d gone out of my way to avoid doing so. I didn’t ask that my kids not climb to the tree house or not slide down the tall two story banister or any other scary thing that would make me lose my breath if watching, I merely asked that they not tell me until later, like college graduation later.

My anxiety was probably passed down in a way I could not prevent, had I wanted. My daughter has always been cautious, even when I pushed her forward. It’s genetic, my husband would say. While my son is much more of a leap first, think later kid, he’s still a wee bit more cautious than some of his friends. Cautiousness-light is good, but over cautiousness in the form of paralysis-light is not. I don’t want my kids to fear the world, scary challenges, or new things. I don’t want them to grow up in a bubble, but my best coping strategy is to close my eyes when they do something daring. I’m not stopping her from climbing, I just don’t want to know. For me, there is a great distinction that feels like I am pushing my comfort zone to allow her to push her own limits, but to my daughter, not watching her do the things that scare me, is the same as ordering her to stop.

I thought the solution to balancing anxiety and encouragement was not to watch, but that didn’t work. I’m going to have to push myself more, forcing myself to watch the things that scare me, even if I am screaming “stop!” on the inside. About the time I reached this conclusion, my daughter and her friends left the tree house pursuit behind to move onto something else. I see the tree house every day, standing as a reminder that more tests are to come.

My kids are about to burst with excitement, as this coming weekend is one of their favorites of the year. The Maker Faire – the Greatest Show and Tell on Earth – will be at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds this weekend, and if you are planning to go, buy your tickets now. Discounted online prices run through Friday, and prices go up at the door.

We’ve always been jealous of people who go to the Maker Faire both days. Much like Disneyland, there is enough to do and see that one day doesn’t feel like enough. We leave after our one day with the best kind of joyous exhaustion, but after moving from discovery to discovery, we always feel like there was one thing or show we missed. Life happens, which is why I am thankful it runs two day because inevitably something else is going on that weekend making a two-day pass impossible for us. Last year it was softball, this year it’s Girl Scouts. My husband wishes the Maker Faire would become a three day event. (It is, somewhat, with Friday open to educators and school field trips, but that’s not what he means.) Until then, we enjoy our one day to the fullest.

If undecided about going, look here and here and here for some photos of past Maker Faires. There are mobile cupcakes, and edible funnel cakes. Learn to solder or make soap. Watch a Mentos fountain or listen to inspired talks. There is something for everyone, and always something that will make you say, “Wow!”

Looking for an idea for something different to do on Mother’s Day? Take your mom or just run away from the kids for a few hours to visit the Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. Decorator Show House in Woodside. It’s an historic estate really, originally designed in 1938 with the main house being 11,000 sq ft. on a property of 21 acres. We were lucky enough to tour the house recently, and it was astonishing how something so close to my home geographically was like entering into another world.

I’d never been to a design house before, and I grabbed a friend who loves to go on home tours, usually part of a school fundraiser where people drive around to look at other people’s kitchens. I was interested because we’d just finished a remodel and many people had asked me which designer we worked with (none) and our electrician kept telling me I should think about going into design. The show house confirmed my feeling that I’m on the design level with Pottery Barn. This was nothing like Pottery Barn. (Although I was excited to find that the same tile we used in our master bathroom was used in the ladies master bathroom in the design house, except in Calcutta Gold when we used Carrara to keep with the cool feeling of my room. I did something right.)

Within seconds of walking through the door, I tripped over a wooden dog. Then right after that, I had an encounter with a snooty designer trying her best to make me feel stupid for asking if a room had heat. (“What do you mean by ‘heat?’ What do you mean by a heating source?” We did a few rounds of that until she answered with an unspoken duh in her tone. Then she insulted my photography without having seen it.) I was ready to turn around and leave, but we walked on and thankfully so because everyone else was nice, welcoming, and ready to talk colors, their design process, room layout, and more.

My favorite designer, whose room radiated his personality, was Scot Meacham Wood of SMW Design. He turned a workout room into a card room filled with Palm Beach cheerfulness. The colors were fun and bright – think Lily Pulitzer – the furniture beautiful, and his art choices were perfect.

Other favorites included Morgan Design Group‘s very clever Clue-themed dining room. It was something that can be easily emulated, maybe not as immaculately done, but some of the ideas can be replicated on a lower budget.

Another fun room belonged to the fictional teen daughter. Teri Pollard of Designworks Morgan Hill created a full backstory for the inhabitant, a senior in high school who was into horses and a blogger. The equestrian chic was perfect for Woodside.

The show stopper is really the master suite designed by Johnny Mallempour of MJM Interior Design. It’s gorgeous, with huge his and her bathrooms. We did not want to leave the lady’s bathroom. It was a room that was hard to leave.

Gorgeous light, lots of space making it feel little like a bathroom and more like a retreat with a spa-like calm. Moallempour had the room taken down to the studs and rebuilt an oasis. He thought of everything in the suite, including details like matching the etched railing in the bedroom to the pattern on an ottoman. He was another designer who was fun to talk with.

The house was full of design ideas, even for a lower budget. Not only is it fun, it’s for a good cause. Tickets benefit the Peninsula Volunteers, Inc., which funds great local programs, including Meals on Wheels, senior housing, and adult day services. Tickets for the decorator show house cost $35, except Thursday nights which are $50 for meet and greets with the designers, a splurge that is worth it. The house is open until May 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesdays through Sundays and is closed on Mondays.

Amidst the crazy, incredible news yesterday where three missing women were found to have been captive for up to 10 years, my mind kept going back to Elizabeth Smart and a news story about remarks she made before the news in Cleveland broke, when she said that abstinence-only education hurts women.

That wasn’t exactly how she said it, but it was her point. She said that while captive and living through being raped daily, she was unmotivated to leave because she felt worthless. She remembered a chewed gum analogy used by a teacher and she thought that she was the chewed gum no one would want. She thought she was garbage. If you have no value, then what would have been the point of leaving?

Elizabeth Smart is exactly the right person to fight this battle. She has an incredibly sympathetic story, one that scares even the most conservative, pro-abstinence families. The poor girl was asleep in her bed when kidnapped. Her message can help let women of all ages know they are of value and what happens to you isn’t you.

Hopefully it will sway the opinion of the abstinence-only education crowd, but the cynical part of me thinks that abstinence-only is about bringing shame, regardless of whether to have sex was your decision or not. You don’t fit the purity mold, so  you are out.

Like most people, I’m curious to know more about the three women in Cleveland and how they survived. One of them eventually fought for freedom, which lead to freedom for all three. Much like Elizabeth Smart, Jaycee Dugard was rescued thanks to outsiders questioning and pursuing her situation. The lesson is to remind girls to fight, no matter what has happened or how long it has been because they have value and are important. This is’t a message that can wait until high school, as 44 percent of rape victims are under age 18, and notably, many of the girls mentioned – Smart, Dugard, and one of the three in Cleveland, were aged 14 and under. (Dugard was 11). Obviously not all rape victims are kidnapped and held hostage, but this begs the question of whether abstinence-only education discourages the reporting of any sexual assault. If you feel shame, you’re not going to share what happened, especially with authorities.

Elizabeth Smart is trying to change the world. I hope her message is heard.

Photo by ABC News

Tomorrow is more than free comic book day, it’s a celebration of the comic culture. Comic stores all over the Bay Area are giving away free comic books, but many are making a day out of it, like Illusive Comics in Santa Clara. Illusive will have storm troopers (from 10 a.m. to noon), face painting, character sketches, Dr. Who art, and of course, free comics.

To find a participating store closest to you, the Free Comic Book Day site has a store locator.

For the Peninsula and South Bay:

• Lee’s Comics - 3783 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; 2222 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo; 1020 N. Rengstorff Ave Suite F, Mountain View
• Comics Conspiracy - 115-A E. Fremont Avenue, Sunnyvale
• Comic Collector Shop - 574 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
• Black Cat Comics - 73 N Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas
• SpaceCat - 536 South Bascom Ave., San Jose
• Illusive Comics & Games - 2725 El Camino Real, Suite 105, Santa Clara
• Hijinks Comics - 2050 Lincoln Ave., San Jose
• Heroes - 24 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell