Ever wanted to give Dad a weekend to himself, and then wondered what to do with the kid(s)?
Come away with us for two nights to a big house in the redwoods with a few other moms. The kids run around together, and he gets a quiet house.
The house, the cook, the food and the plan.
Putting breakfast out, starting the campfire and taking turns watching the gang.
Your own bedroom with a big bed, plus an air mattress if you bring a second kid.
All the kids are close in age, so they tend to find each other fast.
Friday, Nov 6
Saturday, Nov 7
Sunday, Nov 8
Optional · Sunday, Nov 8
Briones Archers, a volunteer-run club with its own range in Briones Regional Park, holds their You Can't Miss 3D Shoot that morning. It's 28 life-size 3D animal targets set along trails at short distances. Scoring is optional. We'd go as a group.
A gated family home in Lafayette, surrounded by tall redwoods.
Tennis and pickleball court, basketball hoop, bocce court, trampoline, ping pong table, hammock grove, fire tables and a BBQ.
A big open kitchen and family room with a piano, a pool table room, and a game room with video games, a Pac-Man machine and foosball.
Briones Regional Park and its trails start behind the house.
1 mile from Lafayette BART, so you can leave the car at home. Carpooling is possible too. Mention it when you register.
Food is covered. A local cook makes Friday dinner and Saturday lunch, gets everything ready for the Saturday BBQ so we can just enjoy it, and helps make Sunday's packed lunches. Breakfasts we put out ourselves. Snacks will be out all weekend. If your family has a favorite snack or you'd like to bring a bottle to share, please do.
These are the options. The final menu goes out 2 weeks before, and you pick for each person then.
Friday dinner
Breakfasts
Saturday lunch
With Caesar salad
Saturday BBQ
With corn, potato salad, watermelon
Sunday packed lunch
With an apple and a granola bar
All weekend
Bring a favorite to share if you like
We don't pay for the house, so the weekend is heavily subsidized. The price covers the cook, the food, the cleaning fee and the other shared costs.
If plans change. The cook, the cleaning fee and the groceries are paid for upfront, and with a few weeks' notice there isn't time to find and plan around a new family. So payments aren't refundable, unless a family with kids aged 4 to 8 takes your spot. Then you get your money back in full.
Coming next
The dad-and-kids version. If you or your partner would want in, leave your details and you'll hear about the dates first.
We live far from our families. Between work and the kids, Peter and I rarely get time off, and when one of us does, the other one is on full duty.
I kept picturing a weekend where I take our girls, Estee (6.5) and Naomi (4.5), somewhere fun, and Peter gets a quiet house and a weekend off he has more than earned. I mentioned it to a few friends and found out I'm not the only one. Some moms wanted exactly this. Some dads wanted the flip side: take the kids on an adventure without months of planning and group texts.
So this is the first one. Three families, one weekend. Let's see how it goes.
Katka