Fourth Annual Small Group Camping Trip

This past weekend we returned to Crystal Cove to camp with our small group.  Friday was D’s birthday, so we celebrated at the campsite with apple pie, Twinkies, and Ding Dongs, all from Costco.

D was also able to pick up his free birthday sandwich from Jersey Mike’s and cupcake from Sprinkles!

Our REI Basecamp 4 is still going strong.  It actually feels a little bit more spacious now because the kids have become less active sleepers.  No more feet in our face, etc.

What do kids do when there are no electronics/toys to distract them?  Play in the dirt, of course.

We woke up to an overcast sky, which lasted until about 2 p.m.  I was thankful for the cloud cover, especially after the scorching heat of last week.

Having fun in the sand…

…and the water.

Moms Select Whole Foods Tour

I took n along for a tour of Whole Foods.  We signed up through my new favorite site: www.greenmomsmeet.com.  The tour filled up fast online, but only one other mother/son duo showed up besides us!  I thought our tour guide did a great job of highlighting the quality of the food at Whole Foods, while also emphasizing the value that can be found.  I have to admit, I do not go to Whole Foods too often, mainly due to my perception that it is pricey.  I think Whole Foods is trying to get away from its reputation of being “Whole Paycheck”.

It has been a while since I have visited Whole Foods.  I had forgotten how impressive their selection is, especially its prepared foods area.  We were also given a reusable shopping bag with a few samples, which was nice.  The tour brought Whole Foods back into my radar, and I hope they can continue to thrive as a business committed to local, organic, healthy, sustainable food. 

Little Hoopsters Closing Ceremony

D and I served on the Little Hoopsters Committee this year, and both k and n played.  This was n’s first year and k’s last year.  D was able to take some pictures of n playing in our church parking lot, on one of the hottest days of the year!

n learned how to dribble…

play defense…

hustle on the court…

and made some friends. 

He was very excited to receive his first trophy!

Indian Cooking Class @ Pavilion Park

I signed up for a free Indian cooking class last Saturday.  We do not eat Indian food too much, although D and I enjoy it.  The kids liked the chicken curry, but the rice had cashews, so we had to be careful.  It is always fun to watch other people cook, but this session was a little long, since everything was made in “real time”.  Even though the class was not geared towards kids, I think it was good expand their culinary horizons. 

She taught us about spices, including Indian gunpowder, which I had never heard of before.  We were able to take some spices home.

How to Make a Brownie Kaper Chart

k had her first official girl scout meeting as a Brownie today.  Two years ago, I made a kaper chart for their Daisy troop.  When our troop leader asked me to make a new one for Brownies, I wanted to come up with something a little different, but still simple. 

I originally found this idea on Pinterest, which is so useful for crafty ideas!  I used an old Ovaltine canister, which has a brown top, perfect for Brownies.  It also goes well with the girl scout motto of “using resources wisely”.  I covered the can with wrapping paper and modge podged the Brownie elf, which was from clip art online.  The kapers are written on labels that are glued around the can, and the clothes pins (which I still had from the Daisy chart) have the girls’ names.  The clothes pins can be stored in the can when not in use, which is handy. 

School Days

We are going on our fifth day of school now, and getting into the school groove.  k and n enjoyed free Jamba Juice the day before school started, when k found out who her teacher is.

Our school still announces class assignments the old-fashioned way: make all the parents crowd around a window in the hot sun waiting for the class lists to be taped up.  I really hope this will be changed so that it will be on-line in the near future.

D went to work a little late so that he could walk the kids to school on their first day.  They all coordinated in their light blue!

It was a big day for our n, since it was his first day of kindergarten!

k is an old pro, now, going into second grade.  She was put in a combo 2nd/3rd grade class this year, so hopefully that will work out ok.

Sequoia National Park: Crystal Cave

On our last day, we took a tour of Crystal Cave.  We went to the Visitor Center nice and early so we would be sure to snag tickets (you must purchase them in advance on the day of the tour).  The Visitor Center was packed with people trying to obtain wilderness permits, and this was before 8 a.m.!  Thursday and Friday of the Labor Day weekend did not seem too crowded, but I would definitely not recommend coming on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.  The line of cars entering the park while we were leaving was absolutely astounding. 

The Crystal Cave is located on a windy road off of Generals Highway, so you must allow plenty of travel time to make your tour departure. 

We saw a deer in the parking lot.

There is a decent hike down to the cave.  With every step down, I was dreading our hike back up after the tour.

There is a pretty waterfall near the entrance of the cave.

Our tour guide, Wilson, reminded me of Andy Samberg for some reason.

After being debriefed on the rules of the cave, we headed for the entrance.

This formation is named Jabba the Hut.

It felt strange to be in this underground world.  There were lights for the tour, but at one point Wilson turned off all of the lights for a couple of minutes.  I have never experienced such utter darkness.  Can you imagine being the first people to discover this cave?  The kids had fun, and it makes me want to visit other caves in the future. 

Back into the light.  The kids were surprisingly great going back up the mountain.  I think there was even less complaining than on the way down, for some reason.

For lunch, we stopped at Sierra Subs and Salads in the gateway town of Three Rivers.  It might not be a place to go out of your way for, but it is definitely worth a stop if you are passing through since the choices are limited inside the park. 

We also stopped in nearby Strathmore, just off Hwy 68, to pick up some orange ice cream at The Orange Works Cafe.  If you are ever in the vicinity, I urge you to STOP!  The orange ice cream was so soft and creamy, and tasted like real, fresh oranges!  D ordered two larges, so we shared one in the front of the car, while the kids shared on in the back.  D and I finished ours a lot quicker than the kids, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it!  What a nice way to end our trip.