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Sierra Outdoor School

Biscuit and I spent the first half of the week at Sierra Outdoor School on the big second grade field trip. Two nights away, in the dorms, with programs from morning till bedtime. It was loud and chaotic but the kids loved it and I actually had a lot of fun too.

The first day involved a 3+ hour nature hike with several stops for exploration, explanation and journaling.

The culmination of the hike was the "silent mile" where kids walked alone across this aqueduct. It looked like this when you were walking on it.

The walk across the water spaced the hikers so they could just barely see the person in front and behind and then they walked for about 15 minutes in silence observing nature. It would have been great for meditation but I enjoyed the scenery and then got bored ;)

The evening program included a "hill billy hop" and dissection of owl pellets (which was Biscuit's favorite activity)

The second day involved a lot of riding busses on very, very curvy roads. But no vomit! At Calaveras Big Trees the really big stump was a hit--they had a mini class with all 17 members of Group D (and several parents) seated on top of the stump. It was really big.

Mercer Caverns was a good mix of scary and exciting for the kids.

The day ended with a campfire and skits interspersed with traditional songs. All 75ish kids had been broken into little groups and practiced a short skit. It was great! A few were skits/jokes I'd seen before but most were new and many were funny even without the kid mistakes ;)

It was fun to be away and spend some time with Biscuit (aka "Redwood" her nature name) but it was great to come home to these two cuties.

 

City

This long weekend our family met up with my best friend's family in San Francisco. The weather could not have been any more spectacular so despite a rough start (Oscar being feverish and barfing all over his carseat) we had a fantastic trip (the barf and some extra sleep seemed to get it out of his system)

The five kids (ages 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8) got along famously and had so much fun together. The grown ups did well too :) In addition to me and Mr. H we had my friend and her husband and my sister and her boyfriend. Finding seating for 11 on a Saturday night during Lunar New Year (near Chinatown) would seem an impossibility but my sister did it. (and it was really seating for 9 as Oscar was sleeping and Mr. H stayed with him).

On Sunday we rode MUNI to the Presidio and the parking lot under the Golden Gate Bridge.

After a picnic in the sunshine we walked to the first pillar of the bridge at which point the kids got scared/tired/windblown.

That afternoon while the little ones took naps and dads "supervised" naps the two moms and three big kids went on a whirlwind cable car ride (crowded), hike up Lombard (steep but fun) and trip to Ghiradelli Square for sundaes (pro tip: there's a caffe at the far end of the square, same ice cream, no line. Also, no kid can finish an entire sundae so 2 sundaes for 3 kids/2 adults is sufficient)

Look at these two. They were buddies and holding hands most of the trip :)

Sunday night we found a pizza place with room for all of us. Monday we spent at Golden Gate Park. I realized too late the weather had turned and I froze in a skirt and sweater. Still, the kids had fun at what is apparently the first children's park in the United States. Everyone loved the carousel except Oscar. I even let him ride a chicken(!) but he wasn't impressed. He rode the non moving swan with Mr. H and regaled us with his animal sounds most of the ride.

We left the City driving over the Golden Gate into the Marin Headlands and explored the bunkers and views. That's a place we'll need to revisit (and stay at the hostel?). Apparently I didn't take a single photo today--maybe I was too cold.

All in all a really wonderful trip. Thank you, Kristy, for being so organized and planning a wonderful get away!

 

Oregon

Oh, I am so behind on blogging. But, nothing to be done but try to catch up, right? I've nearly given up on traditional scrapbooking (for the moment) so the blog is all I've got to keep track of our comings and goings.

We spent the first part of Thanksgiving week in Oregon! It's a long drive to Oregon!(10ish hours on the road up and 12ish on the way back. 4ish in the middle. whew!)

Biscuit is really getting into reading. Non fiction (about chemistry and tornados) and fiction (Clementine,Geronimo Stilton and Lanie (one of the American Girl Doll books)

Oscar favors Touch and Feel Farm (and Touch and Feel Baby Animals).

Blogging the trip is hard as I used my film camera. There's a (re)learning curve with film but it is still fun to pick up the packets of developed prints and oh, ah and sigh over the good, the bad and the underexposed.

I could scan those shots but laziness overtakes as I'm fighting a cold so here's the best of the iPhone.

We were traveling with another family from Sacramento and started the trip visiting friends and family in Bend, OR.

All the boys (plus Biscuit) had a great time!

We ordered (3!) excessively large pizzas. Oops. They were really, really large.

Oscar took to walking a "mouse" on a "leash" stolen from our hosts' son's pile of cast off electronics slated for disassembly.

After Bend we headed to Portland where the highlight was probably the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).

Oscar liked the little kid area but then he was ready for lunch and a nap so we took the streetcar back to the hotel. I'm told the submarine tour was amazing, the planetarium disappointing and the Tornado 3-D movie too scary for the 6 and 7 year olds. Oops. The physical science area was apparently awesome. All in all, a great museum.

All in all, a great trip.

Adventure!

So we just got back from 11 days in Alaska on a private yacht. Yes, I hate me too. How many awesome vacations should one girl get in a summer? (answer: 3). We are so, so lucky (especially lucky to have generous family friends with a yacht! in Alaska!).

The trip was pretty much as awesome as it sounds and despite there being 6 adults, 2 kids and 1 dog the boat was roomy enough that it didn't feel claustrophobic.

The weather was very gray and rainy most days but the views we did have were amazing.

Ok, so this post just deleted itself for the THIRD time (after two times I started saving but not often enough). Typepad, I am annoyed! So, without further commentary and with frequent saving, here are some more photos including: wildlife we saw and wildlife we caught and ate. Enjoy!

Humpback whale:

Orcas

Grizzly bears

Humans

dead salmon

luckily, the wine was "salmon safe" (!)

Prawn

And this is where I could go on and on with photos and stories of stuff we did and stuff we saw but it's 11:15, I have work in the morning, Typepad is sucking etc etc. Suffice it to say it was awesome!

  '

But one final, funny quote. After a week at sea in a very nice yacht with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen with granite counters, Biscuit was incredulous about the bread warming device they pulled out of the cupboard, "you have a TOASTER on this boat?!" Funny kid.

Scrapbook on the road

Before our roadtrip I purchased Ali Edwards' Scrapbook on the Road e-course. I love her blog and try to support my favorite bloggers by buying their products and this class seemed perfect.

This was the first e-class I've ever purchased and it was very easy and organized. There was written content and a few videos. I reviewed all the written content and watched the intro video but, to be honest, I haven't gone back and watched the other videos. She provides great instruction on how to make the travel journal she shows in the class but I had zero interest in making that journal. I knew I wanted to make one like this. I was more interested in her approach and tips which were also a part of the class and were what I found valuable.

For me it was totally worth the $14 price tag to get inspired about making a scrapbook on the road and see a few ideas for how to do it.

I packed up a ziploc of supplies which I kept in the map pocket in the door of the car. In the ziploc I collected receipts, maps, brochures etc to put in the book.

I thought it would be fun to do in the car but I didn't anticipate how excited Biscuit would be about the project. Her enthusiasm and participation made the result 100% better then it would have been. Basically each long drive day we spent 20-30 minutes journaling, collaging or otherwise putting something in the book. I showed her which pages to use (I kept blank pages throughout to add photos when we get them printed) and then I gave her free rein. Some of the collages aren't how I would have done them but they were perfect for her.

She was a very ambitious reporter on the first day.

I made some of the maps into accordians and plan to add photos on the back of the accordian (so the map side is still visible).

I had planned to include more receipts etc but lost steam on that aspect of the project. Oh well.

Anytime something came in a little envelope I pasted in the envelope and filled it with stuff.

I LOVED the stuff Biscuit created to amuse herself (we didn't have a DVD player....) this is her "video" game. I had to "play" the game a lot moving the little paper person while hitting the control (upper left corner) with the eraser on a pencil. See the "death room" on here? Or the place called "bad things?" Gotta love it.

I'm going to put this photo on the left.

The envelopes I scattered throughout the book were lots of fun.

Biscuit did a great job summarizing our time in Cody. Mr. H and I thought Cody was kind of a bust but Biscuit loved it and we were really proud of her for participating in the kids' calf scramble at the rodeo.

Ali often includes transparencies in her book so I added some to mine. It added a little something to the book. The transparencies I used were ones I made of my designs to make screens for screen printing.

I wish we'd tried doing some rubbings of plaques and stuff. We did do a rubbing of tree bark.

The note on the left is hilarious because that Days Inn was pretty much the crappiest motel we stayed in the entire trip. On the right is one of about 20 notes Biscuit wrote in the "language" she made up one day (that was just a series of word like sounds--the only translateable word is Caca, ironically, love).

Oscar was less than helpful. He shredded stuff (mostly from the trash, sometimes not) and then he ate it. This envelope of his "work" might be one of my favorite things (after the video game).

So the photos are ordered and will be pasted in and then this will be done. I love having the scrapbook 80% done before the trip was even over. I highly recommend scrapping on the road.

Home, sleep, wild animals, siblings, and the Fit

1. we're home. it was an AWESOME trip

2. I keep falling asleep rather than blogging and now have a weird blogging block

3. decided to focus my trip recap on a few photos I like best from 2.5 weeks and 4600 miles on the road.

3a. Sibling love. Can't say enough about these two. He was awesome (except while dining out) and she was endlessly patient and entertaining and helpful toward him

3b. We saw a lot of wildlife but the bison (and baby bison!) were my favorites. Herds and herds and (frighteningly, sometimes) right by the car. Our animal-loving baby was enthralled

Oddly, both those photos are from the same day at Custer State Park in South Dakota.

3c. We fit in the Fit. And the gas mileage was awesome.

After arriving home, three out of four of us and everything we had in that wee little car.

 

Westward ho

We've spent the last three days at the Easternmost point in our roadtrip (Central Iowa) reunioning with family. Now we're heading West again. I'm typing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Overall, the trip is going better than we could have hoped. Everything (but the port-a-crib) fit in the Fit and the kids are being AWESOME in the car. It was great to reconnect with cousins and family at the reunion and now Mr. H is excited about the things we'll be seeing on the return trip. We have some long driving days but it should be great.

Here's my best shot of the trip, Biscuit on a roller coaster. Don't worry, she loved it.

Tonight we're in a hotel (with wifi) but it's slow and getting photos from phone to computer is a pain so I'll stop here and deluge you with photos when we get home.

Off to Wyoming (again) :)

 

Crazy? Stupid? Both?

Did I mention we got a new car in January? It's a Honda Fit--a cute little commuter car Mr. H drives to work.

We're driving it to Iowa. We live in California.

All four of us. Two and a half weeks on the road. Camping.

Hoping the cute little Honda Fit will fit:

• Two adults
• One six-year-old (in carseat)
• One one-year-old (in rear facing carseat)
• Four people's clothes (including warm clothes and rain gear for camping in Grand Tetons)
• Three sleeping bags plus blankets for baby
• Sleeping pads
• Tent
• Camp stove
• Cooler
• Food for the road
• Activites for the trip (books, games etc)

Actually, that doesn't look too bad....what am I forgetting?

Things that I'd like to take but really, where would they go?

• Port-a-crib
• Stroller (we'll take the ergo carrier)

Both Mr. H and I have a million work deadlines to meet before we leave. And if we fit everything we need we really should be in a Honda commercial don't you think?

This and that

We spent the last few days at the beach with my family. Kind of a random trip but fun to hang out with my parents and sister and the weather and scenery were amazing.

Before the beach, Christmas was fabulous. Biscuit outdid herself with beautiful gift making (mini "art" quilts for the grandmas, painted ceramic mugs for the grandpas and dad) but the funniest were the painted, wood flags.

She painted these over the summer on leftover wood plaques. They've been in a drawer for months but apparently she pulled them out and wrapped them up for gifts. I had no idea till they got opened and it was hilarious. Especially all of us trying to identify the state flags. "This is Ohio," she'd state confidently. "Ummm, I'm pretty sure that's New Mexico" I'd suggest. We were probably both wrong. My mom's was labeled on the back "I think this flag is Texes." It wasn't.

These are the things I brought home from the beach. I'm almost as obsessed with seaweed as I am with lichen and moss.

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I've been in the mood to go running/jogging. This morning was super foggy and perfect for a run/jog so I went. I think it's time to get back in shape. Perfect with the New Year.

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While I was running (jogging) I imagined a project I'd like to make. Jogged to Michael's but they were sold out of the supplies I needed. Typical, right? Jogged home and Mr. H had precisely what I needed and I was able to make a prototype in about 15 minutes. It's exactly what I had in mind. Don't you love that? Photos once I've got it perfect.

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Our house is in a completely unbearable state. Messy, cluttered, ugh. We spent the day after Christmas dismantling the diswasher (completely!) It works again but we never caught up on dishes. Then we went on a trip so now we're behind on laundry. Plus the holiday stuff. Tomorrow I plan to put away/clean/purge and start the new year fresh. Biscuit is freshening the windows with wintery snowflakes.

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Oscar's a grouch. I'm guessing teeth but there's a touch of a cold and he's trying to learn to crawl and that's a lot to do when you're a baby. He's generally SO happy we don't quite know what to do with him when he fusses. Fussy babies are a lot more work.

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Biscuit is hilarious. She's also endlessly hungry and clumsy. Growth spurt?

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I'm trying to finish up some scrapbooking projects so I best sign off for the evening.

Happy New Year!

Weather and doing nothing

Looking at the downpour outside I'm feeling worse and worse about Biscuit going to school in a dress (with shorts, not pants, underneath) and without a coat, umbrella or anything. Although, odds are they won't be doing PE in a downpour and the classroom is probably the same temperature regardless of outside rain.

I'm rather enjoying the quiet and listening to the rain while Oscar naps and naps.

But listening to the gutter overflowing and running inside the house through the broken door threshold makes me think "replace doors" should have come up higher on the house project priority list. Or, maybe, "de-gunk gutters" would be enough.

This last weekend we went to Yosemite. It's a 3-4 hour drive and we were leaving Friday after school and had to be home by 3ish on Sunday. I'll be the first to admit I didn't want to go.

Arriving and realizing we had forgotten the tent (of all things!) did not improve my sense that this was a bad idea.

But, my sister-in-law had set up an extra tent for suitcase storage so we moved out the suitcases and moved in our family and didn't even have to set up a tent in the dark. Pretty good planning, eh?

We were there in a patch of beautiful weather between storms but it was pretty chilly. There was snow on top of Half Dome but none in the valley. Still, I woke up cold on Saturday morning after a poor night's sleep and thought about driving home.

Instead we left the big kid with her aunt and cousins and took the baby to the Awahanee. It was the perfect attitude adjustment for me. I was there with nothing to do. Nothing I even could do. Unlike downtime at home where there is always laundry to fold (ie right this minute) there was nothing I could do but snuggle my non sleeping boy and accept compliments on his cuteness from strangers.

Eventually he drifted off for a little while and I was able to contemplate the interesting patterns on the ceiling and read a few pages of my book. And drink a $4 cup of coffee.

Warm and relaxed I went back to camp to find the big kid playing pirates with her cousins. Dinner was cooked over the ever present campfire. Saturday night I went to bed at 7:15 and worked out how to sleep/feed Oscar/stay warm so I got a good night's sleep.

Amazingly it was a really good trip. But I still think I'll focus on camping in the summer when it's warmer.