monarch butterfly field trip

On Friday we picked up Nanny and Pops then headed south to Pismo Beach to check out the Monarch Butterfly Grove. I had been wanting to do this for several weeks but weather and other surprises kept us from making the trip. We arrived just in time to help celebrate Monarch Day (mark your calendars, apparently there is such a thing). We listened to a docent speak on the life cycle and migration of the monarchs and we got to eat butterfly cake! Jason taught Nanny and Pops that butterflies do not come down to the ground to play hopscotch as they had previously thought, but rather, to mate. No need for euphemisms with our young scientist.

After the butterflies, our family drove down to Santa Maria for miniature golf while Nanny and Pops went to Costco. Cameron LOVES miniature golf. It is her favorite thing to do for vacation... that and stay in a hotel.

We had a great time playing together and Hayden was considerate enough to wait patiently in her stroller and clap and cheer for us. After the golf, the girls watched the boys race around the go kart track. They had a blast! We all enjoyed dinner at In-n-Out, a little time browsing at the bookstore and then the quiet ride home.

weather science!

Wow, I can't believe it! Finally we are doing a unit on weather science and our sunny California skies are grey and cloudy. We have wind and rain on the way. Usually my kids have to read about weather phenomenons like rain and snow, but never experience them :) Here we are making a weather vein and a wind meter. Both kids have enjoyed learning about weather the past few weeks and I'm just so excited that we have some interesting weather to observe. Even more shocking news: I'm enjoying science ( a few years too late to earn good grades but just in time to teach my kids, not a bad trade-off!).

rainy day casualties

Cameron operates by a "shoot first, ask questions later" policy.

Hayden operates by a "I'm cute, so I'm sure you won't mind" policy.

let's see how many times i can make my mom cringe...

I was feeling crafty this week so I made a skirt. Without a pattern (cringe #1). Tuesday night I was cruising through Wal-Mart, trying to kill time while Jas was at AWANA, and I found a cute bolt of fabric for only $1.50 per yard (disclaimer: if Target had a fabric department I would never cross the threshold of Wal-Mart ever again. Ever.). So I held it up to myself and thought, hmm 2 yards ought to be enough (cringe #2). I knew I had some elastic at home (no idea the width of the elastic though, which leads us to cringe #3) so a simple elastic skirt would be my next project. Wednesday morning I scanned my blogroll and Google for free skirt patterns. When my search was exhausted and I had found no satisfactory patterns I went to my closet and found a skirt that I like. I folded my material, right sides together, and laid my favorite skirt on top.

I cut around it with about 2 inches on each side to spare and called it good (cringe #4). In my defense, I did prewash the material and lay the skirt on the bias (smile mom, breathe...).

I pulled out my Singer and got to work. The old girl struggled. She skipped stitches and broke threads. If you look closely you'll see that I didn't bother to change the hot pink thread that was already on the machine (cringe #5). I admit, there are some ugly seams; but they are nicely pressed.

All in all it was a good day. I made a skirt, I confirmed that my machine does truly need a tune up and I proved that patterns are unnecessary. But most importantly, I got back in the saddle, stretched my creative muscles and did something for myself. (how ya doin' mom?)

canyoneering

Have you ever heard of this? I really want to do it. It combines rock climbing, rappelling and squeezing in between canyon walls in those beautiful red rock canyons of Utah. Check out Sunset magazine's January issue, the article is called "On the Rocks". Who's with me?

excursionsofescalante.com

i (heart) CVS

Do me a favor. Read this post , then head directly to your local CVS and get yourself an Extra Care card. Do it. I'm a recent fan of CVSing, otherwise known as "getting stuff for free". Here's the deal:

1. Go to CVS and sign up for an Extra Care card. It's their store card, you can even put the tiny one on your key ring.

2. Check out the Sunday ad in your paper and look for items that are on sale and will earn "extra bucks".

3. Clip the corresponding coupons from your Sunday paper.

4. Prepare to get stuff for free.

Last week I did this. I scanned the CVS ad and looked for items that we use in our household (shampoo, lotion, laundry detergent, light bulbs, etc.). I bought things that we would need eventually and have room to store. Last week I spent about $33 and came home with $10 extra bucks. Extra bucks are printed out at the end of your receipt and you can use them like cash on your next purchase.

Tonight I went to CVS with my list, coupons and last week's extra bucks. My total before coupons and bucks was $31.92. I paid $2.28 and earned $8 extra bucks for next week. Seriously.

One awesome thing they are doing this week is a promotion on green bag tags or reuseable bags. You can buy 2 bags or tags for your own bags at 99 cents a piece. Then, next time you come in the store, scan them. Every 4th scan earns you an extra buck. This is awesome. Most stores credit you with only 5 cents per bag that you bring in. Also, you can transfer your prescriptions over and earn extra bucks on them.

I don't mean to be a product pusher, but honestly, who doesn't need to save money right now?

I'm a little addicted, it's like a game to me. If you have questions or want to see my receipts I'd be happy to help you get started. Or, go to my favorite site for deals: www.moneysavingmom.com and check out her sidebar post on how to get started at CVS.

I promise to put up cute pictures of the kids soon... this commercial is now over :)

christmas activities

December has been very busy around our house! I took Jason and Cameron to see The Nutcracker and the kids both loved it. For the next few days there was a lot of ballet from Miss Cameroo (and of course many Madagascar moves too).

We also got our tree. We treked deep into the forest of the Walmart parking lot to get just the right one. The kids love to help with the bungee cords and sawing the stump but the enthusiasm fades as the afternoon goes on. I usually find myself decorating alone toward the end of the process :)