Spoiled Kids: New York Times personal finance reporter Ron Lieber will be in Sonoma to speak about his bestselling book, “Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous and Smart About Money” on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m. Lieber will discuss the how, when and why to talk to kids about money. He’ll cover the basics – allowance, chores, phones, cars and college. But his overarching focus is on values. What we spend, how we save and where we give says a lot about who we are. The event is co-hosted by the Presentation School and the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. Tickets are on sale at presentationschool.com.
Improve your life: The co-authors of “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” suggest 10 habits that will dramatically improve your life. Among the best, which are relevant for students as well (tinyurl.com/h9age5x) …
• Stay away from people who erode your quality of life.
• No more phone, tablet or computer in bed.
• Appreciate the here and now.
• Realize that things aren’t always as you perceive them to be.
• Get started, even though you might fail.
• Get organized.
• Start a collection of the things that truly resonate with you.
Lice alert: Did you know that head lice removal is googled the most in the month of January? When the kids are headed back to school after winter break, head lice infestations tend to peak because of infestations brought on by recent holiday travel and head-to-head contact with family members.
SVHS musical: Sonoma Valley High’s drama department is staging “Bye Bye Birdie” on Jan. 27 and 28 plus Feb. 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, students, seniors and active military. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Readers’ Books, Pharmaca and SVHS Student Activities Office. Tickets can also be purchased at the Little Theatre Box Office 30 minutes prior to curtain.
Books needed: The Sonoma County Free Bookmobile is in great need of Spanish-language and bilingual books. You can help by donating any gently used books, or purchase new books through First Book (ow.ly/9nBS305Ix2j) or at one of our local bookstores. For the list of drop-off sites in Sonoma County visit freebookmobile.org and click the “Donate Books” tab.
Hit the Road Jack: Registration is open now for 30th anniversary of Hit the Road Jack. Organizers have added a new Kids Dash run for those 9 and under, and all the course routes have been changed. HitTheRoadJack.org
Afterschool classes: Students at all elementary and middle schools can participate in the after-school activities at Presentation School that begin in February. The Perks classes this semester include encaustic wax, chess club, coding robotics, Science Olympiad and others. Visit presentationschool.com
Linguistics app: Local Lingual is a cool interactive language map. Click on any location in the world, and it plays recordings of the local language, along with the national anthem and other information. localingual.com/
Dance classes: Sonoma Academy of Dance is starting up new classes on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Classes include Irish dance, break dancing, hip hop and creative movement. Visit sonomasummercamps.com for more information. Classes are held at Burlingame Hall at 252 W. Spain St.
