I am founder and publisher of SoCal Kids San Diego, a website dedicated to keeping parents in-the-know about family-friendly events and activities in San Diego.
My goal with SoCal Kids San Diego is to be your one-stop-shop for family fun. From the beaches to the border, it is my hope you turn to SoCal Kids San Diego to get the scoop on family fun.
My homepage is set up in four sections: Featured Events, SoCal Spotlight, In the News, and For Families. Articles run the gamut from upcoming events and community-driven happenings to local people and places.
I often host giveaways as well as feature local mom-owned businesses under the heading Meet a MOMpreneur. In addition, I accept guest posts on a variety of family and kid-related topics for inclusion in the For Families section.
I publish a free e-newsletter. You can subscribe here. It highlights events and activities for the upcoming month.
The heart of SoCal Kids San Diego is the Events Calendar. It’s chock-full of fun! I list a wide range of events including: concerts, crafts, story time, sports, festivals, puppet shows, science and nature activities, holiday happenings, and so much more.
If you are an organization and want to submit your upcoming event, you can do so here. Please keep in mind that it must be family-friendly, in San Diego, and open to the public.
SoCal Kids San Diego also boasts a coupon page! I love supporting local businesses AND saving families money. If you would like to submit your coupon, you may do so by filling out the Submit Your Coupon form.
My Biography
Originally from Rochester, NY, I came to San Diego in 1992. My previous work experience in Rochester included a management position at a music store and prior to leaving, I was a staff writer for a local arts and entertainment magazine. I also dabbled in band management.
About a year after arriving in San Diego, I started taking courses part-time at local community colleges and was eventually admitted to San Diego State University as a music major. I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in Anthropology in 2003.
While at SDSU, my emphasis was on World Music. I began drumming in the African Music and Dance Ensemble, which led me to several trips to Ghana, West Africa. There I studied drumming and dance with local artists, attended lecture classes and performances, and immersed myself in a culture that I would visit five times (as of this writing). My studies also led me to Indonesia, where I taught African dance at a World Music workshop in Bali. I, too, became the student and learned both a Balinese and Javanese dance, which was performed at a local festival in Bali.
For several years, my husband and I led a group called Ho-Asogli, in which we performed traditional drumming and dance of Ghana. My role as drummer had by then turned into dancer and teacher. The group performed all over San Diego at multi-cultural events, festivals, private parties, schools, churches, and universities.
As a team, my husband and I have taught traditional drumming and dance of Ghana at various elementary, middle and high schools here in San Diego. It was a wonderful experience for me and it was such a joy to watch these kids learn about another culture.
I am married to John Flood, who has his MA in Music from UCSD. He calls himself “just a drummer,” but he is quite a talented percussionist. We have one daughter, age 5, who we adopted from San Diego County Adoptions. We are in the process of adopting another child through them as well. We have four cats, one dog, six tortoises, too-many-to-count turtles, and visiting birds and bunnies. We reside in East County.
In my free time, I enjoy photography, making jewelry, music, nature, native gardens, family jam sessions, and my wonderful friends.
I am a guest blogger for San Diego Bargain Mama.
My Contact Information
You can contact me by email or follow me on Twitter or Facebook.
Colophon
SoCal Kids San Diego launched on December 1, 2010. The first e-newsletter was published on January 31, 2011. My current website design was launched on July 31, 2011.
My website is built on WordPress using the Genesis framework. My theme is based on the Lifestyles theme and was designed by Dorian Speed at Up to Speed. My website is hosted by WPEngine. I utilize OIO Publisher for advertising and Gravity Forms for all forms. Cloudflare works as my content delivery network.
All photos on this website are obtained legally. I do not “drag and drop” from other websites. If photos are not taken by me, they are directly from the organization whose event I am posting, from iStockphoto, or from a free stock photography site such as stock.xchng, rgbstock, or morqueFile (in which I abide by their rules).
I adhere to FCC rules and provide full disclosure when given free products or services to host a review and/or giveaway.
Quick Links
Advertise with SoCal Kids San Diego.
Subscribe to the free SoCal Kids San Diego e-newsletter.
Submit your family-friendly event.
Submit your family or kid-related article.
Submit your coupon.
Find me: Email, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest.
Disclaimer
This is my website. I do the best to my ability to list all events that are family-friendly, regardless of location, price, or subject matter. I am not responsible for events that cancel or re-schedule. I do not sponsor or endorse any event unless it specifically states that SoCal Kids San Diego is a sponsor. Please use the contact information provided in the calendar listing to contact the organizer of any event. I make no representations as to completeness, accuracy, suitability, or validity to any information on this website. I will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.
This website is copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Updated April 20, 2013.
