SPRRRRIIIIING BREEEEEAAAAAK! We decided to have a fairly mellow Spring Break this year by staying local, but we managed to fit in a couple cool things with the boys.
On Monday we headed to San Diego and stopped at the Cabrillo National Monument, which was pretty cool. We had coffee and ice cream at a cool little place, and then headed to our hotel. Funny enough, the hotel was the ONLY part the boys were excited about all day Monday. We stayed at a pretty cheap hotel, so I kept trying to tell them that sightseeing around San Diego was going to be WAY more exciting than checking in to our hotel. But alas, they asked “how much longer until we go to the hotel” about a million times.
Our big event was going to the U.S.S. Midway on Tuesday. We got there before it opened, and that worked out so great because we basically had the upper deck to ourselves. The audio tour is really great, and they have a kids and adult recording for each station. Although we were exhausted after almost four hours of walking around, we all had a great time and loved exploring all the different parts of the ship. I think we all agreed that the control rooms were the best part.
As expected, eating lunch on the ship was expensive. Although I was prepared for it, I still wasn’t prepared for it. I think it was a little over $80 for the five of us to eat mediocre fast food. Le sigh.
We also went to Medieval Times that week, compliments of the grandparents. Jonny took a while to warm up to the noise and lights, but all three boys ended up having a blast. This was another expensive outing, and not something I see us doing again until we have grandkids (ha!).
Honestly between San Diego, Medieval Times, and getting random treats throughout the week, I think we would have spent just as much going somewhere out of town for the week!
We also had Josh’s 8th birthday party, so on the heels of Easter and Spring Break, it was a busy month!
items i loved this month
After Easter, spring break and birthday planning, April was a very low budget month for extras. Josh’s birthday was a skateboard theme, so I did get these before for goody bags:
One tradition we started in 2020 with COVID that has stuck around (sometimes, based on the theme) is making our own pinatas! I didn’t find anything great online that was on-theme, so with dad’s help, we made our own! Jeff designed an amazing invite, so we used that image for the pinata. There wasn’t a large enough print at FedEx, so Jeff cut the image in two, we printed two copies of each page, and then cut and glued them on to the pinata that Jeff fashioned with Amazon boxes. Bought some black and white tissue paper, and voila!
Our other big home project has been the built-in closet that Jeff has made for Jake’s bedroom. It’s been a very time-consuming project, but Jeff has done an AMAZING job.
Lastly, my craft project at work for April was a paint-by-numbers craft, and it was a huge hit! I bought a variety of sets, some from Amazon and some from Michaels. The ones from Michaels were more intricate, but the Amazon ones were pretty easy and almost completed within our hour lunch.
recipe
BLT’s – Armstrong Style
With summer approaching, we’re going back to some of our hot-weather meals, of which BLT’s is high on the list. We go a little crazy with ours, so here’s what we add in addition to bacon, lettuce, and tomato:
Avocado
Monterey Jack cheese
Cucumber
And the key ingredient: a fried egg! I fry it in the bacon grease…because obvies.
Haven’t started it yet because just the title makes me sad, but our May book club pick is My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming. I borrowed the audiobook from Libby – wish me luck!
I started a podcast with my friend, Karla. Take a listen!
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Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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This month has been a doozy! I had a presentation for my consultant side-gig on 3/27 and it sucked up a lot of my time and energy. Not to mention I was a bundle of nervous anxiety for the four days preceding it. I’m still trying to understand that – I wasn’t nervous about presenting, I’ve done that before and LOVE it, which is the whole reason I’m pursuing this, but it was my first time presenting on this scale. And being me, I added all of these little extras that I was probably nervous about pulling off. Regardless, it went great (although I do need to adjust the timing and format of it), and as of last night, my belly is back to feeling normal and not feeling like I’m going to puke, so that’s great.
Ever since the time change, the boys have been able to play outside a little longer in the evenings. And although it’s a constant “stay out of the street! put a sweater on!,” it’s so great to live in a neighborhood where they can play with other kids outside. I feel like it’s a quintessential part of childhood that many kids miss out on these days. It makes up for the fact that hosting Easter in our tiny home is a logistical nightmare when it’s raining and we can’t use our backyard.
items i loved this month
Paint by numbers: I’m getting ready for the April craft workshop that I organize at work, and decided on these. I found some other ones at Michael’s, but they were larger and seemed way more complicated. We only have an hour, so I’m trying to get better at finding crafts that can be easily completed within that time frame (instead of everyone taking home a partial project – I have so many unfinished ones from the last year!).
Skateboard book: I usually buy a book for each child’s birthday party, so that those attending can sign it. I try to stay on theme, obvies. Josh’s 8th birthday is coming up, and he chose a skateboard theme. If you’re friends with either of us on the socials, you’ve seen the amazing invitation that Jeff made – he’s SO talented! But I digress. I bought this skate book for Josh’s birthday and it’s so cool! It’s more expensive and grown-up than what I would usually buy, but alas, our boys are growing up.
Motivational cards: because I’m a sucker for these things, I post little motivational cards in the bathroom stalls at my work. And people are allowed to take one if they see one that speaks to them. I recently purchased these, although I really liked these ones that I bought last time.
projects, crafts & more
My craft at work for March were DIY magnets. I made a version of these years ago, when Jeff and I had a little shop in a trailer at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and they sold pretty well!
Now Amazon has a “kit” to make these, so they look even better and were way easier to make then using a hot glue gun to attach the magnet.
The great part of this craft was that it was easily completed during our lunch break – which has not been typical of some crafts, ha!
SUPPLY LIST
Magnet set that includes glass piece and adhesive magnet
I cut plastic cups so I could give everyone a small “bowl” with modge podge
Newspaper or craft paper for each workstation for easy clean up
recipe
LEMONADE
Our neighbors gave us lemons from their backyard recently, and honestly they’re the only lemons I like to use for lemonade, because they’re DELICIOUS. Anyhow, we’ve been making this lemonade for a few years now, and making the sugar syrup is a game changer!
Ingredients and Instructions
1 and 3/4 cup of sugar
1 and 1/2 cups of lemon juice (about seven juicy lemons)
8 cups of water
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and one (1) cup of the water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Allow it to cool, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.
When juicing the lemons, remove the seeds but leave the pulp (optional, but I do really like the pulp in the lemonade). Stir into a pitcher with the sugar water. Add the remaining seven (7) cups of water, stopping to taste occasionally (sometimes I need more or less water, depending on the sweetness of the lemons).
I’ve started two different books, plus just got a long awaited book from Libby, but really feeling the need to finish the first two (which haven’t hooked me). My Amazon First Reads are really stacking up, and hoping for a month where I can make some serious progress and share some great reads!
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Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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We went to LA this month to meet up with one of our favorite families, and explored the Fern Dell Nature Trail by the Griffith Observatory. We walked to a great playground that was on the trail, and the kids had a blast running around (unfortunately the bathrooms are under renovations, so beware of the porta poties!). We enjoyed some ice creams from the local paletero, and I got such a kick out of all the boys saying “gracias!”
We also did a little brainstorming session this month which I really enjoyed. We are not doing a major trip for Spring Break this year, so instead I put up a big piece of butcher paper on our closet door, and told the kids to go wild with anything and everything they’d like to do. We have some great ideas that we winnowed down between things we can plan for spring break, things we can plan for future family trips, and things we can aspire for…someday, ha!
items i loved this month
Presentation pointer! Such a cheap and silly gadget, but it made a HUGE difference during my professional development presentation last month. I was able to walk about the classroom more freely while still clicking through my slides. I had originally ordered this one, but the day before my presentation I was notified it wouldn’t arrive on time.
Trash can stickers. Again: a silly purchase, but we have our trash and recycle cans right next to each other under the sink and guests will ask which is which. I thought this could take the mystery out of it all.
Chip clips! Andy was calling these the unsung heroes of the kitchen on Nobody’s Listening, Right? and I agree! Which made me realize: I hate our mismatched chip clips. I had a lightbulb moment while listening to the podcast: I could BUY cute and matching chip clips, and they probably wouldn’t even cost much! Shocker: they don’t.
Herschel backpack. Jeff and I are planning our trip to Tulum in May to celebrate my aunt’s 60th birthday, and I decided this was the inspiration I needed to finally upgrade my travel backpack. I’m a little sad to let my last one go, since it’s really been EVERYWHERE with me, and through so much, but it is literally being held together by safety pins. And I’ll be honest: I really want to feel and look cool on this trip. This will be our first major trip without the kids (and since we went to Germany together in 2012), so I figured it’s worth the splurge. I’m REALLY excited about the Seagrass color on the Little America Backpack. I originally ordered the standard size, which I was concerned about so I even watched a YouTube video comparing the standard and mid-volume sizes. Turns out it really is too big, so I’m returning it and exchanging it for the mid-volume size. TULUM HERE I COME!
projects, crafts & more
This month’s craft at work was a “Love” wooden sign made with nails and yarn. I think it came out so cute!
Jeff and the boys helped with the boards: Jeff obviously did the cutting, but the boys helped sand and apply some layers of I-really-don’t-know-what and paint.
I wanted to have a few different options available for people, so we experimented with a few different stains, and a couple white boards. I also bought various colors of yarn so everyone could pick what they wanted, and printed a few different fonts. I love seeing how unique everyone’s project turns out.
recipe
CHICKEN PITA WRAPS!
Ok, maybe not the best representation of this dinner, but we had it last night and we LOVE it. It’s light and refreshing and after a week of eating crap, it was exactly what we needed.
Ingredients for chicken marinade:
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of lemon juice
1 and 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (about two breasts), cut into bite sizes
Place all the above ingredients in a ziplock bag and let the chicken marinate. I’m sure overnight is probably best, but I usually do it as soon as I get home and just let it marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Still tastes great!
Meanwhile, get those bamboo skewers soaking in water, and prep your tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki ingredients:
6 ounces of greek yogurt
1/2 of an English cucumber, de-seeded and thinly diced
Chopped fresh dill
1 tsp of white vinegar
large pinch of salt
3/4 tablespoon of olive oil (recipe calls for one full tablespoon – I find it to be too much)
1 minced garlic clove
Mix these all together and let it chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Additional toppings: red onion, lettuce, large tomato chunks, and FETA cheese (we really like the tomato and basil seasoned feta). And are you really from California if you don’t add avocado to everything?
Our favorite side: greek french fries! I know…it makes for a less healthy meal, but they’re so good! We used to use frozen shoestring fries, but yesterday Jonny picked the crinkle frozen fries, and I’ll admit: they were much better. On a cookie sheet, I have one side of regular french fries for the boys, and on the other side I season the frozen fries with dried oregano. I bake per the instructions, and once ready, I put our seasoned fries in a bowl and add feta, tzatziki, and sometimes chopped parsley. So good!
reading recap & MORE
This was a pretty slow reading month. I’ve been trying to do yoga more often in the mornings, and I’ve really been buckling down on my clerical professional development handbook for an upcoming PD session next month, so the reading has been slim.
I also read the Improbable Meet Cute series – these were all short stories and although some of them were cute, none of them were favorites. As I’ve mentioned before, short stories also seem a little rushed to me, so that’s probably part of it.
Currently reading:
The Volcano Daughters, by Gina Maria Balibrera (publication date: 08.20.24). I was intrigued by the cover and title of this book, as someone with a Central-American born mother, but I’ve had a hard time staying hooked.
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Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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OK, trying to branch out on my monthly blogs for 2024. Let’s see how this goes!
family highlight
For a couple years now we’ve gifted the boys “mom, dad, & me” dates for Christmas. I really wish we did this more often throughout the year because the one-on-one time with them is SO great. But it does make it super special and each of them were excited for their “dates.” We picked different date ideas for each of them based on their interests:
Jake: trip to Barnes & Noble that included a book purchase and Starbucks snack
Josh: going out for breakfast, and a boba date which we did a bit later as a family
Jonny: a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice-cream with all the yesses (yes, you can get the unicorn with the extra chocolate and sprinkles!)
items i loved this month
I had an Amazon gift card to burn so I splurged on some items I’ve been wanting for a while and could buy with no guilt!
Library kit!! Ah I’ve been wanting this for so long! Finally got it, but I’ll admit I haven’t had time to actually put them on my books. The kit only comes with 20 cards so I was also over-analyzing that I’d have to prioritize my books, but I found out they sell refill cards!
Busytown Seek and Find board game: this was really a Christmas present for Jonny, but it’s been a HUGE hit. Although it’s mostly for Jonny, it’s become a family favorite.
projects, crafts & more
I’ve been organizing monthly craft workshops at my work since June, and I LOVE them! January’s workshop was our most popular to-date: one of my co-workers is a crochet wizard (just like my mom!), so she led the class and we’re all furiously crocheting our little hearts away. It’s nice to have a commonality with co-workers that transcends our individual departments and is not work-related.
I also watched a documentary on Amazon Prime for ME. I NEVER watch anything, so this was huge. It’s called The Booksellers and it was an interesting peek into the world of book buyers/sellers and the history and future of bookstores.
recipe
I wanted to try something new recently so I brought down my Magnolia cookbooks, and given the weather, I decided to try the potato soup. It’s not my new favorite, but it’s good, and Jeff LOVED it, so that’s huge! I made the full recipe the first time I made it, and had waaaay too much leftover (the boys won’t touch it). It didn’t freeze well, so we ended up dumping it (anyone have special advice on freezing food with potatoes in it? They always defrost funky to me…).
This last time I did a half-batch and that was still more than enough. I also ventured to my local Panera on a very rainy day because I REALLY wanted to have them in sourdough bowls, and I do think that’s the only way I’ll have this soup in the future. I’m not sure what the rules are on sharing recipes from cookbooks, so I’m just going to share this site that’s already done the dirty work ;)
reading recap
I started out really strong since I had the first week of January off from work and generally not a lot going on, but then side projects and life took over, and I started a book I couldn’t seem to finish. It took me a while to decide not to finish it, but I’m so glad I let it go. I read The Heirloom instead, and breezed through it. So here’s my reminder to you that it’s OK not to finish a book – there’s too much great stuff out there!
Crow Talk, by Eileen Garvin: Three Mugs. Publication date: 04.30.24
Tangled Up In You, by Christina Lauren: Three mugs + Jalapeno. Publication date: 06.25.24
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Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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I used to have a few weeks off during the summer when I worked at a middle school and Jake was a baby. The first few summers being home with him were H-A-R-D. But 2017 turned a corner and it was glorious. The main reasons being that Jake was getting older and we could do more stuff, but I also realized that my summers had to be dedicated to the boys, and not my personal projects. Once I jumped on board, I realized I could PLAN my summer out and have something, no matter how small, planned for each day. So that was great for 2017, and then 2018 came and I started a new job that was year-round, so that was my last summer of adventure with the boys.
The years in between we’ve been lucky enough to have them spend time with grandparents, but this year they get to spend it with daddy! I realized that Jeff would also need to have some stuff planned to get him out of the house with THREE boys, or he might very well leave and never come back, haha
And, obviously, I jumped at the opportunity to research, plan, calendar, and color code things.
So, here’s our summer plan, generally:
Monday’s are for exploring new trails/hikes
Tuesday’s are for crafts
Wednesday’s are for exploring a new park/playground near by
Thursday’s are for science experiments
Friday’s are for the beach or…doing nothing after a busy week!
First I printed out a blank google calendar for the summer months, then marked it up with the things we already had planned (camping trip, chess and golf camp, etc.). Then I researched a bunch of family friends trails/hikes, new playgrounds, and reviewed my Pinterest kid activity board for crafts and science experiments. I assigned them to available dates, and then I added each of the planned activities on the Google calendar I share with Jeff. I know it seems redundant to write it out on a paper copy and then transfer to a digital one, but I love the visual of the paper copy when I’m starting things out, and the usefulness of sharing the digital one. I included the Pinterest link and the list of supplies for each activity on the Google calendar so Jeff could easily locate what was needed for that activity and how to do it. I also included links for locations for trail and park days.
The super fun part once activities were decided on: making a list of supplies to buy, heeeeyoooooo! I tried to support our local school supply store, but they really didn’t have as many of the items as I hoped, so we ended up resorting to Amazon and our local grocery store for most stuff. This may be showing my OCD too much, but here is the list I created in case it’s helpful. And yes, I DO sort it by date, or activity, or supply location…and yes, it makes me so so happy. And yes, I do have various versions printed…Anywho, purchased the supplies and placed them all in a big plastic bin in the garage so they’re all in one location, but also out of the way.
Here’s what I came up with:
TRAILS AND HIKES
Aliso Summit Trail
Buck Gully Trail
Thomas Riley Wilderness
Santiago Oaks Regional
Peters Canyon
Fullerton Panorama Trail
CRAFTS
Make a summer checklist (I printed several templates I found online, let the boys cut out the ones they want, and they glued them on to a colored piece of construction paper).
While at the teacher supply store I also purchased a couple different achievement certificates. We’ve decided when they earn five of them, they get the prize they convinced me to get them when I took them shopping for supplies…
What does your summer with kids typically look like? Any wonderful links to share with ideas?
Ladies and gents: IT CAN BE DONE! I know other people have done it…but WE did it. We took a trailer and did a road trip with three kids (ages 7, 5, and 1.5) and survived to tell the tale!
I did a lot of research and planning for our trip, so thought I’d share what worked for us in case it’s helpful for anyone else.
Our first destination was Sequoia RV Ranch, in Three Rivers. It’s a short 15-minute drive to the Sequoia National Park Foothills entrance, and maybe an hour to the Giant Forest Museum.
SATURDAY. The temperature at the Ranch was 108 degrees when we arrived a little after 4:30 p.m. – yikes! The great thing about this campsite is FULL HOOK UPS. We got to use all of the trailers amenities, including A/C. Honestly, with that kind of heat (and a low of mid-70’s at night), we were checking out surrounding hotels on our way there in case the A/C didn’t work. Thankfully it did, and we left that going while we went to check out the local swimming hole. I highly recommend getting a site closest to the swimming hole, or even a site that has the river next to it – the river was our salvation for that heat! After heading back to our site for a quick dinner (see below for our meals), we went back to the river a little better prepared: camping chairs for Jeff and I and the 1 year old (Jonny), water shoes for everyone, and most importantly: beers (no glass allowed, so we poured into cups and took down).
SUNDAY. We headed out as early was we could with three kids to get ready. I packed a quick lunch and put that in a small cooler I took specifically for days like this one. My oldest is super picky, so I write everyone’s name on a paper towel, wrap their sandwich in it, and then place all the sandwiches in a large ziplock. I sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and placed in a separate ziplock to add to our sandwiches later. I also know us well, so packed plenty of bars, chips, and snacks. And water, of course. We bought these canteens for the boys, which not only got lots of attention from everyone, they also allowed the boys to carry their own water without complaining ;) We also waited until 9:00 a.m. for the office to open so we could check in, since it was already closed when we drove in on Saturday. Office employee was very nice and pointed out a kids scavenger hunt and treasure chest. They also had a bunch of board games in the office – I imagine you can hang out there to get out of the heat, if needed.
Sadly the Giant Forest Museum was still closed due to COVID, but we took the Big Trees Trail which was just passed it, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We took the stroller with us which worked out great for Jonny: the entire trail is paved, although there are some stairs from and to the parking lot on either end of the loop of the trail, so definitely need a couple people to carry up and down the stairs. After we crossed the street on the trail to the meadow, we found some people climbing on a giant log, and I’m so glad we saw them, otherwise we would have walked right by it! A little sketchy, but beautiful view from the top!
Oh Joshy…
The meadow itself was absolutely breathtaking, we even saw a black bear sprint through it! I highly recommend taking the full loop around the meadow – it’s not very long and every angle of this meadow is stunning. We were quite hungry at this point, so we found a log and some shade in the parking lot to scarf down our sandwiches before heading to Crescent Meadow.
The beginning of this road is super narrow and a little sketchy, but widens a bit later on. This meadow also has a fully paved path, so again great for strollers (or for using the stroller to carry all your waters when your one-year old doesn’t want to sit in it). We saw a buck on this trail, which was pretty exciting! We were trying to make it to Thorps Log on this trail, but we turned out right before we got there – everyone was getting tired and grumpy. I later found out the log we climbed in the first meadow was probably more impressive, although less kid friendly, than Thorps Log.
We ended our day by waiting in line for a ridiculous amount of time to get our photo under the Tunnel Log. A couple notes: you have to pass this in order to get to Crescent Meadow and there was quite a back up when we got there – we had to wait in what is supposed to be the bypass lane, in order to turn off left to keep going to Crescent Meadow. We decided to wait on the way back for the photo op. A note to future travelers: please be considerate if there’s a line and make it quick! People were taking forever and doing full photo shoots while 20+ cars waited in line.
I really wanted to check out the General Sherman tree, but Josh and Jon were both asleep by the time we got there, so Jeff and Jake literally ran down and back. My request for photos was forgotten during the quick sprint, ha! Next time!
We stopped for ice cream at Reimers Candies & Gifts on our way back to camp. This was a win-win: the kids love ice cream, and it killed some time on getting back to our hot campsite. We turned on the A/C as soon as we got back to camp, and repeated our schedule from the day before: dip in the river, then head back to camp for dinner. Since everyone was pretty tired and we could use the trailer TV, we opted for a movie night instead of going back to the river.
MONDAY. We had a quick breakfast and tried to pack up before the heat really got in. We were still sweating by the time we headed out. Our next stop was Cedar Bluff Campground, next to Bass Lake (I used the recreation.gov app for two of our reservations and was really impressed with the app). We stopped at a Wal-Mart in Fresno to stock up on some food and other supplies, and found a local pizza place for lunch. I figured eating out for lunch on travel days would break up the monotony of sandwich lunches. We rolled in late in the afternoon and did just the basics, then headed to the lake with our fishing poles, since Josh (our 5 year old), had been dying to fish since we left the house. We tried fishing by the dam, as was recommended by a couple people, but had no luck. Easy night of dinner, campfire, and s’mores.
TUESDAY. Again, we TRIED to head out early, but it’s hard to wake up sleeping kids. The drive from our campsite to the Yosemite National Park entrance was only 21 miles, but there was already a line of cars to get in that took an extra 30 minutes or so. I will say – there are worse places you could be stuck in: the trees were just beautiful! We played some hangman, built some legos (I bought two giant pencil boxes and had the boys pack legos before we left the house), and tried to keep a one year old entertained. This is COVID-era specific, but you had to purchase your pass ahead of time, as they only sell a certain amount per day. The passes are valid for three days, so although they didn’t have any available for Tuesday when I was purchasing it, they had one available for Monday, that was valid for Tuesday and Wednesday also (phew).
The drive in to the valley was…you guessed it…beautiful. We pulled over after the tunnel for the classic look out photo, and then pulled over a little further down the road where we could scramble down to the Merced River and drop in the boys fishing lines. We decided to eat our packed lunch here, which was a bit of a challenge with a one-year old, but it was beautiful. No dice with the fish, so we continued on.
I had to use the bathroom at this point, so Jeff turned off at the Swinging Bridge. I used the loo, then we walked over the bridge, and let the boys get their feet in the river. We realized the paved walking/bike trail was right there as well, and decided to bike around rather than try to find parking deeper in the valley. Best. Decision. Ever.
We biked to the Lower Falls Trail, locked up our bikes and headed to the falls. Scrambled over some rocks to dip our feet in again, and then Jeff had to carry all three boys back over the rocks to the trail. I’m excited to hike up closer to the water fall when the boys are a little older.
Is Jeff wearing a Pokemon backpack, you ask? Yes, yes he is. #bestdadever
We continued around the trail and ended up at Degnan’s kitchen/cafe, where we filled up our canteens and water bottles with fresh water, picked up some ice cream, and a beer for Jeff and I. We sat outside and relaxed a bit before biking back to the truck. On our bike back, a little alcove caught Jeff’s eye, so we all turned back to explore it – wow!
We toured the rest of the valley in the truck, and decided to head home. We were hoping to check out the Mariposa Grove on our way out, but everyone was pooped.
Back at camp, the boys made friends with neighboring campers and stayed up late throwing around a glow in the dark football I bought at the Dollar Tree. It was a HUGE hit. Dollar Tree for the win!
WEDNESDAY. I had originally planned to drive into Yosemite Tuesday and Wednesday, but as the week took shape and we realized how beautiful Bass Lake is, we decided for a “staycation” on Wednesday, and just spent the day around the lake. We headed to The Forks to check out their boat rentals (the original plan was for Jeff to take the older boys on a small fishing boat, while Jonny and I went into town to do laundry, gas up, and…maybe do some antique shopping…?). The woman at the counter was incredibly friendly, and upon seeing the age of our boys suggested we take a larger boat out, as the smaller fishing ones can be pretty scary with that age group. Unfortunately their boat fleet was a little limited and out of our price range, so she recommended we check out Miller’s Landing, which had a little more variety in size and pricing. The staff at Miller’s Landing was equally helpful – the cashier even gave the older boys each a quarter for a gum ball machine, and gave Jonny his first lollipop. We did a two-hour rental of their cheapest patio boat available. It still was more than we’d hope to spend, but figured it would be worth the experience. The staff there did mention that the cheaper boats (less horsepower, cheaper boat) are reserved way in advance, so next time to call at least a week ahead to reserve it, or even A MONTH ahead for holiday weekends! (Noted.)
I’ll just say: it was worth every penny! Even though, again, we caught no fish. Also, kids are funny…they want to fish, but really, they just want to cast their line over and over again. Which is understandable – what kind of fun is leaving your line in and WAITING? Josh had again but asking to fish all morning, but as soon as we stopped somewhere on the lake he was ready to head back to camp to find his new friends, ha!
We fixed hot dogs for lunch, then packed up and headed out to find a little beach spot on the lake. Bass Lake has a bunch of little turn offs where you can park and walk/hike down to the lake, so as you drive around the lake you’ll find canopy’s and chairs lining the edges of the water. You can also pay $10 at the ranger station for a day use permit and park in the parking lots they have around the lake. We found a nice little turn off that even had shade, so we didn’t have to lug our canopy down. We all enjoyed staying out of the heat and by the water for a few hours, although I will say the smell of that water is something else…we all got wash cloth nature baths when we got back to camp.
The boys enjoyed another night of playing with their friends, and we enjoyed getting to know all the parents. I do think camping folks are the happiest folks!
THURSDAY. We started packing up early since we had a long drive to our next site. The boys spent most of the morning playing with their friends while all the parents worked frantically to clean everything up (we decided it will be nice when they are all teenagers and can pull their own weight, haha). Us parents exchanged contact information at the insistence of all the kids – I do hope we get to see them again!
Our next and last stop was Reyes Creek Campground. This was another 4+ hour drive. We stopped at a WalMart again for some basic supplies, including a lot of water since this last site has NO water, and grabbed some El Pollo Loco for lunch. The drive from Bass Lake to Reyes Creek was…interesting. Has anyone driven through Taft, CA before? Weird, desolate, oil lands. This was the campsite I was the most worried about, since it has no water and only vaulted toilets. But I picked it because it broke up our drive home, and technically was only 2.5 hour from home…
Again, I think our site was the best around: we had shade and the creek ran at the end of our site. But, it’s dirt camping which is not our favorite, and there were ants EVERYWHERE. We took a very quick bike ride around the grounds, and decided one night here would be enough. Our site was right across from the bathrooms and wow…that smell was something special when the wind kicked up! Jonny was too tired for the campfire, but Jeff and the older boys had a great time being silly and spitting kernels into the fire (the result of a failed Jiffy Pop attempt).
FRIDAY. We made one last ditch effort to catch some fish by hiking through the creek to a little waterfall area, and dipping our feet in the water. We packed it in after a late pancake breakfast, and hit the road around noon. There was no service when we left, so we couldn’t map our way home, and assumed we’d keep going down the road that brought us to the site…which actually took us through the entire Los Padres National Forest. As scenic as the drive was, it was a little longer than we’d hoped. We also didn’t take into account Friday afternoon traffic in LA – we’ve now learned this lesson the hard way, as our 2.5 hour drive home turned into 5 hours. We even considered staying at a hotel near Malibu just to break up the dreaded drive, but it was hard to find something reasonably priced that wasn’t a shit hole, and therefore trucking on to our comfortable home and beds was more appealing.
Although the final leg of our trip was a little disappointing, the trip overall was AMAZING. The kids, and us, had such a great time, and I’m so thankful for all the memories we made on this trip. We can’t wait to travel again! We’re thinking our next trip will be to Zion, with an overnight in Vegas on the way there. As much as we love camping, I think our next trip will involve hotels ;)
MEALS.
We stuck to easy meals. The Friday before we left we made pulled pork in the slow cooker, which we had for dinner and knew we’d have lots leftover, so we packed that up for Saturday nights dinner. I also prepped teriyaki meat skewers on Friday and packed those in a ziplock back for Sunday’s dinner. I prepped the veggies and packed those in a separate ziplock, and threw them in with meat to marinate on Sunday morning. Monday night we fixed pork loin with boiled corn and leftover Suddenly Salad from our lunch, and Tuesday we ate at a local restaurant since we got back late to camp from Yosemite. Wednesday we did burgers for lunch, and Thursday we fixed breakfast burritos for dinner. Lunches were sandwiches, hot dogs, or stopping somewhere during our drive. Breakfast was mainly cereal, yogurt parfaits, or packaged pastries. I also took bagels and cream cheese, but we only had access to our toaster the first two days when we had full electrical hook ups. I also pre-made ranch and onion dips before we left, and those were great to pack up with our to-go lunches or when we needed an afternoon snack at our site. We also double down on all things snacks: bars, cookies, chips, cuties, apples. You can imagine which snacks the kids prefer.
Cooking with a one-year old was…fun?
PACKING. You may know I love lists. Going camping gives me the opportunity to use a list that’s been perfected throughout the years for our family. Every trip there’s something that gets added or updated as the kids get older and the items I need for them shift. I have a master packing list on Etsy in case it’s helpful to work off of and personalize for your family (there are different tabs for different destinations).
RESEARCHING CAMP SITES. I did a LOT of research to find out where to stay and which sites to choose (that were available). Aside from our last stop, I think it paid off! Things I looked for where: location and driving times between sites and places we wanted to see, amenities (hook ups, water, bathrooms), and with the trailer, the size of the site was important. On the Recreation.gov app, each site tells you the max size of a trailer/RV recommended for the site. I also checked Yelp and Google reviews for each site, especially if there were particular sites recommended. General Google searches also helped with locating campground maps to see where the sites were located and to find random sites that have campground reviews. It’s definitely a rabbit hole that at some point you have to pull yourself out of, and just pull the trigger on a site!
And now…the good photos from the professional! All credit to Jeff Armstrong Photography ;)
I hope some of this was helpful, or at least entertaining! What are you favorite places to visit with kids? Any tips or advice to add?
Well, if finally happened. On a perfectly sunny afternoon in February (the 6th day of February of the year 2021, aka yesterday, to be exact and for posterity), I finally reached my Grocery Store Zen. I had stopped by Starbucks for a little pick me up, then strolled in to Stater Brothers, pulled back my cart, pulled over by the avocados, put on my sweater (because I get COLD in the store, even if it’s 100 degrees outside), put in my AirPods, got my music going, pulled out my list, pen, and reusable produce bags to place on the kid seat portion of the cart, placed all other reusable bags on the bottom of the cart, and I just knew it: this, this is my Grocery Store Zen.
Quick aside: why is it always avocados, or tangerines, that they place at the entrance of the grocery store? I mean, they ALSO have them in the produce section…is it because they spoil quickly? I’d imagine almost all produce spoils fairly quickly…I’d say it’s because they don’t need those little water sprayer things…but neither do apples, and they NEVER have apples there! The INJUSTICE is all I’m saying….
[Insert Nacho Libre “Anyways” GIFF that I couldn’t find]
Cart. Avocados. We’re back.
After having kids, probably shortly after the second kid (of three), Jeff and I realized meal planning was our game changer. We hated having to figure out what we were going to have for dinner every day, then stopping by the store or whatever. And after thirteen years, we finally realized that meal planning our lunches is also necessary for us.
So on weekends I use my meal planner to lay out our dinners for the week, and make my grocery list, then I go shopping on either Saturday or Sunday. I go during the boys nap time – which I sometimes hate because I lose that down time for myself, but it’s what works for our little fam. It’s a strange thing: it’s such a pain to sit down and think of meals for the week, and go to the store, but also…I do get a little thrill in pulling down my meal planner and setting about this habitual task.
So buying groceries is definitely a part of my weekend routine, and I’ve gotten my system down pretty well, starting on the right with produce, then working my way across and ending with dairy/refrigerated stuff (it’s also the order of my grocery list, hellooooooo A-type personality!). Sometimes I would take my headphones and either listen to a book on Audible, or music, but the headphones usually got stuck on something, which would then make my phone fall out of my purse, or a headphone fall out…and then I had to add a mask to it, and well, it was a pain.
Then: Christmas. My in-laws bought me AirPods, and they’re also a game changer. No getting stuck on anything, no problem with my mask…the only difficulty is adjusting the volume when I get to the meat counter: I liked the ease if the pause button my the headphones, instead of having to take my phone out now. But you know…first world problems and all.
So, yeah, that brought my Grocery Store Zen to the ultimate level of bliss (if you can use “bliss” to describe shopping for groceries). I guess that and finding good music/playlists to keep me awkwardly singing out loud while I pick my groceries.
What about you? What’s your dinner/grocery buying routine? What makes it easier?
Today was a month since all this madness started (hard to forget when it happens on a Friday the 13th!). Wow.
We took a family portrait to commemorate the occasion. I saw someone else do something similar on Facebook, and thought it was a great idea to memorialize this time of our lives. When I first saw the idea, I thought Jake would have my phone since he’s always using it to play Pokémon Go. Josh would have a basketball since he was really enjoying shooting hoops in the back yard. And I would be holding our daily schedule.
Since the inception of the plan, it’s been raining non-stop, the boys found their tablets and I’ve lost some of my will to argue. And the schedule has gone to shit. So, this has been our reality:
Jeff’s artsy version:
The boys and I were walking around the neighborhood last week during a rain break. It was the day after trash day, and a neighbor’s bin had fallen back and was partially blocking the sidewalk. The boys were ahead of me on their razors, and I was catching up while I pushed Jon in the stroller. I debated going onto the street to avoid the blockade, then decided to just pick up the bin. The boys had stopped to see what I would do, since they had gone around it but realized I wouldn’t be able to get by with the stroller. After I picked up the bin, Josh came up to me and said “you get five kisses from me right now, and five hugs from me and Jake when we get home.” He gave me five kisses on the spot. “Is this all because I picked up the trash bin?” “Yeah, because that was really nice!” he said, as he sped ahead on his razor again. I hope I never doubt doing the right thing again. Although they didn’t pay up on those hugs when we got home…
I’m one of those people that likes an organized pantry. There’s a place for everything, and it irks me when things are not in there place. But these days….
Just throw that shit anywhere. Yeah, leave the pasta on the cereal shelf. Who cares if the boxed pasta is in the canned section. And that box of cereal? IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER ANYMOOOOOOORE!!!
Sorry. Emotions are high these days.
We had sunshine on Saturday. It was glorious. Jeff and I were full of smiles, being silly, and generally just giddy. We realized we were just happy to see the sun, ha! We can never leave California…we would not survive actual weather.
Josh’s 4th birthday is on Friday, and he’s super bummed we had to cancel his party. He wants all his friends to come over. We’ve had to tell him multiple times over the last month why they can’t. Today I was asking him what he would like me to fix him for dinner on his birthday (pizza), and he followed up with a question of his own: can my friends come over when the corona virus is over?
It crushes me that my not even four year old has to use “corona virus” in a sentence. And yes buddy, you absolutely can. Once this is over, we’re re-doing Easter, and his birthday, and probably Mother’s Day, and everything else that we’re missing out on. We’re celebrating big time. Because look at these faces!
Easter was obviously very different this year. I was missing family, and the tradition of going to church. And the weather sucked. I dragged my feet through most of the day; I couldn’t even fight the boys to get dressed, so they stayed in pajamas all day. Until right before dinner when Jeff told them he needed their help and disappeared. The three of them came back out all dressed up and ready for our Easter dinner. My heart was so full. My eyes were pretty full of tears as well…
I tried something different today. Monday and Tuesday were not my best days. I found myself with a super short fuse, filled with anxiety about Jake’s school work, house work, my work, keeping Josh entertained, and the baby alive. You know – the basics.
Today I woke up and decided I needed to take it easy. I said screw the schedule, and enjoy the day. I basically took a mental health day, haha. I started the day in a much better mood, and was way more patient and graceful about the boys going through their morning. I told Jeff I was switching things up, and that I’d need him to watch the baby during Josh’s nap so I could dedicate some time to Jake’s school work after lunch. Jeff is working from home also, so we’re trying to be good about communicating our needs to each other-when he has meetings and can’t help, when I need to respond to work emails and need him to take over, etc. It ain’t easy, folks. There’s guilt on all sides….I feel guilty for asking for his help when I know he has work to do, I feel guilty for not dedicating more time to a job that I’m so fortunate to have during these times (and all times), guilty that we let the boys watch MORE tv last night while we had our first zoom “happy hour” with some of our dear friends, etc., etc. But I digress….
During breakfast I talked to the boys about using a safe word when mommy gets frustrated or upset. Sounds ridiculous, but I think the boys holding me accountable for my mood, in a kind way, could be helpful for me. I decided on “spaghetti.” Ha! Jake thought we should also say a rhyme or joke, which I thought was overkill, but he put it in practice later that morning: the boys were brushing their teeth and started to argue about who was using what stool (a frequent argument in this house) and I told them to use their words. Jake said “spaghetti…what do you call a three humped camel?” Josh and him started talking, and Jake said “wow, that worked really well.” I had to laugh. The joke helped diffuse the situation, which was pretty genius! I also had to explain that he couldn’t call spaghetti on me for everything, like asking him to flush the toilet.
Instead of jumping into our schedule and doing school work (which has become a loosing battle with Josh), we went to a neighbors house and decorated her sidewalk with chalk to wish her a happy birthday.
We did some art work in the front yard. I got supplies for a couple different ideas I saw in Pinterest…neither of which interested the boys in the least. They just did their thing, which I’m learning to accept and embrace.
We had to pick up some materials at Josh’s school, and his teacher was wearing a mask. On the way home, Josh asked me why she was wearing a mask. I explained that people wore it so they wouldn’t get sick or get other people sick. He then told me he needed a mask. My heart broke. I told him we don’t really go out anywhere, and the people that need them are people that are sick or work in hospitals. “But I need one so I don’t get everyone sick.” Oh my baby. I tried explaining that he wasn’t sick, that there aren’t really many available, that we really just need to wash our hands all the time, etc. He wouldn’t let it go until I told him I could try to make him one. As soon as we got home, he went and washed his hands without me asking him too. My heart aches for his worry.
The boys played together in the backyard for a bit, they played while they ate their lunch (which I usually fight), and have them each a warning about what we had to do next: nap time for Josh, school work for Jake. Neither was super excited, but it worked out. Jeff took the baby so I could put Josh down for a nap, then I helped Jake get through his work. It was a lot faster when I could sit with him and get through it, then when I’m trying to do multiple things and push him along, and get frustrated that he isn’t do it quicker on his own.
I’m glad that we tried a different schedule and a different pace. I’m not looking forward to the rainy and gloomy weather we have coming up-it makes such a difference to be able to enjoy the outdoor spaces in our house. But, hopefully changing up our routine every now and then will help out.
What’s working for you and your family? How are you trying to keep it all together?
For all the blogs and Facebook posts out there about lifestyle hacks, I’m proud to say I came up with this one on my own. I’m not saying it’s original or I’m the first to conceive of the idea, but it came to my mind on my own volition, haha.
I’m gonna be honest…we never have time to deep clean our house. I wish we did. The amount of times Jeff and I say to each other “we have to clean this house,” is pretty ridiculous. But you know…life. But bathrooms are a special beast…they HAVE to get cleaned every now and then, or things just get really, really gross.
We use Clorox wipes in our house a lot. I wish they were paying me to say this, but they’re just super convenient and efficient for our little home. I found myself always going to the kitchen to get them so I could at least wipe down the bathroom sink or toilet. Then it dawned on me: thanks to our Costco size purchase of Clorox wipes, I always have like a bajillion of these in our garage. So I put one under each bathroom sink. And not gonna lie, it makes all the difference.
I can wipe down our toilet while I brush my teeth (gross, but true, and…life), or give the boys sink a wipe down while they’re in the bath. It allows me to multi-task. Part of me knows it’s lame…our house isn’t a mansion…so walking to the kitchen for wipes shouldn’t be a deal breaker for a clean bathroom…but in the mayhem of life, I’m learning to take any shortcuts I can to keep some sections of our home at least modestly presentable!
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I also wanted to share a little gadget that’s been making my life a little easier recently. Now with Josh in pre-school two days a week, and Jake in school full time as a first grader, lunches and snacks have become a big thing. I found myself packing stuff in tiny zip lock bags (which I’m trying to avoid as much as possible), and tupperware…and it was just annoying. I finally pulled the trigger and got one of these little bento boxes for Jake.
It’s worked out so well that I bought a blue one for Josh, and a second one for Jake so we can alternate on having to wash it every day (the struggle is real, people).
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Finally, Jake and I love listening to podcasts on the way to school when we’re not practicing our math or talking about dragons. I stumbled upon Wow in the World, and it’s great! I’ve learned more than I’d like to know about cockroaches (they can survive over a week without a head!!), the deal with bees dying, corroborated what Jeff told me a long time ago about brain freezes, and all sorts of random interesting stuff. The characters are actually quite funny, and I love how they explain big science ideas in ways our little people can understand them.
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What “hack” or household items/products make your life easier?
Finca Cielo Azul 