Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Yesterday we celebrated my Grandpa Darol's 83rd birthday. we went to my Aunt Susan and Uncle Kevin's house in Burbank and oh man, it was haaawwwtt! good thing they have a pool! but i didnt bring a suit, because the thought of me in a suit right now brings me to almost tears...

here is my Grandpa and his wife admiring the AMAZING carrot cake my Aunt Cindy made. seriously the best ever...i need that recipe!!

this is my Grandpa giving a thank you speech. he is such a sweet man. he is always telling us how beautiful we are, how smart we are, how we should be Miss America...every year for our birthdays *still* he sends us a card with a check for however old we are in dollars...so my brother and his wife gave him a card with $83 in it...i thought that was so cute...then Jake said, "Grandpa if you get any older, we'll go broke!" which my Grandpa thought was hilarious...

my cousin Jason and his wife Tiffany and their 3 week old baby girl, Tate. look - she just gave birth 3 weeks ago...it kinda makes you want to kick her in the teeth...but she is too nice...you can't do it...plus she works hard at it - she is a physical trainer, so there is that. but they are just the cutest little family - i am so happy for them...and her flat stomach...really...no jealousy at all!






bryson and his new haircut...daddy shaved it so short! but dont worry, we left the rat tail...much to my mother's utter disgust...he was in the pool all afternoon, of course! we miss our pool because it was great to wear him out...but knowing someone with a pool is always better than having one yourself :) this i know.

Bodie and their dog Shayna...Bodie is turning out to be quite the animal torturer lover.

and here we are - the whole gang...what a lovely bunch of people!

Every Monday Matters - Monday #5 - Eat Healthy

i hadnt looked at the topic for this week...so maybe i should start feeling guilty about that pound of strawberries and half a bag of popcorn we ate on saturday for lunch...

some FACTS:
we spend $117 billion for obesity, $66 billion for high blood pressure, $432 billion for heart disease and strokes, $50 billion for weight loss aids

there is a 79% chance that an overweight child will become an overweight adult
75% of adults don't eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies
400,000 people die annually from poor eating habits and laziness

TAKE ACTION!!
eat fewer foods with refined grains and sugars
eat more dark green veggies, legumes, fruits, whole grain and lean meats
drink plenty of water
limit snacking

our family has been making little changes over the years and we make it a point to cut out foods a little at a time, so that we will be more likely to stick with it! we have also started making a lot of the things we used to buy pre-made, which always seems to end up healthier.

my in-laws are super healthy and i remember my father-in-law telling me when bryan and i were first married and i was complaining about adding some "love weight" and needed to go on a diet...he said, "there is no such thing as a diet. its called a lifestyle" i realized how right he was. the more you change your lifestyle the more you make real changes.

we are still a work in progress though...i think my sugar intake is my biggest issue right now. i think because of this challenge i will try my derndest to avoid refined sugars...

Tanaka Farms

we had such a crazy busy wonderful day yesterday. my better half has been gone all weekend and i have had other people watch my kids all week so i could be in the office so i really hadn't spent time with my kids since last Sunday. to compensate for their lack of a mother i decided saturday would be this crazy jam-packed day of fun...lets just say that it was, but that i was ready for bed at 8:00 pm

let me start out by proclaiming my love for this picture. i love my boys...they crack me up...this is so portrait-esque of them...love it. at the end of the day when i was tucking bryson in and saying his prayers he told me, "mom...you could watch me every day." awww - break my heart...i wish i could...but that isn't what we chose as parents...

secondly, let me say that i had been wanting to go here for mr. bodie o...we have 2 little strawberry plants that he is ob-sessed with...he goes over to them every day and says, "oooohhhh...sta-bee" he already picked them clean, so he knows what should come out of them. as soon as the wagon pulled up to the strawberry patch and bodie got to see the plants and what was under them he went nuts.

OOOOHHHH....OOOOHHHH...STA-BEE!!!! it was so funny...i think i laughed at him for a good 5 minutes and realized we needed to get a pickin to fill our little trays.

thirdly, let me say - it is kinda pricey to do - $13 for anyone over 3...but it was a lot of fun...plus you get a bunch of strawberries...super amazing sweet strawberries i may add...

tanaka farms is in Irvine...which is crazy to me...i love it when you go to a place like this and forget where you are. the boys are super into our garden and picking fruit and veggies, so this was a pretty cool thing to show them!

that was only the first part of our day. on our way home bodie fell asleep so i put him down for a nap, and bryson and i laid down too. bryson asked for his strawberries and upon waking i find that he ate the ENTIRE pound (i think) of strawberries. oops...i should have limited them maybe? i was mother of the year yesterday i tell you. his lunch was strawberries and half a bag of popcorn. he is good on fiber for the next month.

Experimental Butterfly Zoodie

i was asked to attempt a butterfly zoodie...i love getting special requests...well, scratch that - i love getting most special requests...the lady who asked me to also make a red vest and hat for the monkey to complete her son's school play costume, i wasn't so much into. but new animals that little kids may love - that is fun!

i had been thinking about a butterfly - or something with wings - for a bit...i just wasn't quite sure how to piece it all together...so i did what i usually did...made it up as i went along...i am still not quite sure about it. i think i will need to work with it before it goes up in the shop, but i am happy with how it turned out.

originally i was thinking a pink sweatshirt with a pink and purple-ish tie-dyed type sheer fabric for the wings, but i found this pretty orange and yellow sheer fabric and thought it would make for a pretty little butterfly...

i made the majority of it this morning while the boys were busy eating...what i meant by that is that bryson ate while bodie threw most of his food everywhere. but somehow it worked out...even if i did have quite a clean-up job afterward :)

i thought i would have to bribe Bryson into modeling somehow, but he will not take it off! he says he is like batman...so the next one coming up is a bat one for sure. he loved it - zipped around the yard in it and watched his shadow dance on the ground - loved it. so i guess its first test run was a success, because he is a hard sell.

Hope you like it Whitney...or more importantly, hope your niece likes it!

PS - comments are appreciated as i am trying to decide whether or not this one should be up, or if it needs an overhaul!

Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival

i am very excited to announce that friendkidly will be at Patchwork in Long Beach. June 27th at Marine Stadium Park (Appian way and Nieto) from 11 - 5. If you are in the area...or even if you aren't...its worth the time and drive. they have the raddest vendors - tons of homemade lovliness - food, baby stuff, big kid stuff, music - and its all good...seriously. its not your incense and rasta crocheted handbags and vendors that sell shirts with kitschy stoopid phrases...its good stuff people. so put it on your calendar. and stop by and say hi.!

Zoodies Dot Com !!!

Introducing Zoodies.com! i am so very excited. The very talented Whitney Hill of Bel Kai Designs has designed my site and i couldn't be more pleased. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Every Monday Matters - Monday #4 - Prepare for an Emergency

See the facts by clicking here

Take Action Today:
1. Develop a Family Communication Plan by selecting a person outside your local area for everyone to call in case of an emergency.

2.Designate a primary and secondary meeting locaton

3. Create an emergency supply kit containing a 3 day supply of the following:
water, food, first aid, towelettes, garbage bags, flashlight, batteries, maps, whistle, dust masks, tools, can opener and cash.

so...i am so so bad at this type of thing. remember Y2K? there was all this hubbub about emergency kits then...i was in college so i was like, who cares? but now that i have children...it seems to matter...i should do this...i am giving myself till the end of the week to do it...

do you already have an emergency kit for your family? what other items do you suggest i put in?

Zoodies Sneak Peek....

oh goodness. i am so very excited...it is hard to contain and so i must let a little leak out or else...i can't help but think of a bathroom joke after that...didn't i just tell you in the last post how mature i am? yeah....scratch that....moving on...

i have been a little busy with my zoodies. i have been getting quite a few unexpected orders, both on and outside of etsy and a lot of inquiries from mamas of girls asking what type of zoodies do i make for girls...which i do make...which are not up on etsy...well the kitty is now, but that is not the point...anyway...i had no models and my boys were tiring from their modeling careers...at one point bryson was like, "another sweatshirt mom? do i have to?" okay okay okay....

so a playdate at the santa ana zoo was arranged and lots of little models were at my disposal and not only that but some of the derndest cutest most gorgeous little models you could ask for...and finally my little silly sweatshirts got some decent pics! i am not finished gathering, nor editing, nor picking - how can i possibly pick out of so many cute shots? but wanted to share some of the newer designs...and by new i mean that new in the last couple of days i finally made some of the ones i have had ideas for but never a motive to create.

here is a precious little panda bear.

and have you ever seen a cuter little puppy?

and here is a sweet little unicorn (what you can't see from this picture is that little miss Violet here is wearing a Belle from Beauty and the Beast costume underneath) i kinda made this with her in mind. this little one loves dressing up almost as much as i do.

i am hoping to have these up soon...and by soon i mean in the next couple of weeks...but they are of course available to order now through me. thanks again to all the mamas who let me use your darling children and bribe them with candy...sorry to send them home all loaded up...hopefully the day playing at the zoo over-rode the sugar in the system and they all napped on the way home!

Fishin'

this is gunna make some TMAFI alums quite anxious for june to come...this is fishing at Intake II. quite possibly the ugliest lake up in the Bishop Creek area. i usually hate going to this lake and i dont believe i have ever caught anything there...its not a natural lake, which is why i probably don't like it so much.
due to the unusually long winter up in the Sierras, a lot of the lakes that would normally be open were still frozen over. (dont despair TMAFI-ers....the ice is melting approximately 1 inch per day, it should be fine for our arrival....lower than normal, but fine). anyway - due to those long winters this was one of the only lakes up there available to fish. i did have some luck, and so did bryan....and being the super cool, nice, rad, amazing mommy that i am....i even let bryson reel one of my fish in...should i mention here that i didnt do that last year and that bryan gives me a hard time about it still....i have matured bryan...look...here is proof....our son holding one of MY fish...i am so mature sometimes its hard to stand...

this picture is when we met the runners and bryson kept himself busy "fishing" the stream....i say it like that because i had put some dinky lure on his line so i didnt have to keep re-baiting for him....why is he in his pajamas you ask? well....i was so obsessed with following bodie around and making sure he didnt fall in the creek, when i looked over and saw poor bryson up to his neck...he was trying to jump across and fell a little short...all i had in my car was p.j.s...

and here is the little fisherman in a rare moment sitting. i am excited that he is so into fishing. it will be neat to bring the boys up every year and have them become familiar with the place so dear to my heart. my favorite part about fishing with bryson and my brother is that when i caught the second fish he went and showed my brother (who was not so lucky) and shouted, "uncle jake, look my mom caught another fish! do you want her to show you how?" if you know my brother....or have a big brother yourself....you will know how utterly, completely awesome that was.

BHS 20 Mile Fun Run

please don't get me wrong...i think being pregnant is just great...really...i do. its hard...sometimes it seems unbearable even...but the responsibility of creating another life is pretty life-altering amazing and i try not to take it for granted....especially since it is looking more and more like this may be the last pregnancy i experience...i am trying to love every minute of it...trying...not always succeeding...especially after a weekend like this.

we (my family, my brother, SIL and their family and my SIL's dad Rick and his wife Barb) went up to Bishop for the BHS 20 mile fun run. "FUN run?" you ask...and perhaps even repeat in a sarcastic tone...but yes, that is what it is called...i imagine because most of the runners running it are running it because they would rather be running in the 50K or 50 miler or perhaps the 100K but have some sort of an injury or just want to "take it easy" so they run the little 20 miler...

I think my SIL Mandie explained it best when she said how she looked around at the people wearing the 20 mile run bibs (those are the numbers you pin on yourself for the race people to note your time) and they all looked completely normal...then you look at the people in the 50 mile run bibs and they all look completely crazy. this is true. they are pretty nuts....we know this because of rick miller - mandie's dad. he and his wife have a love for ultra running. they are both so full of life and adventure and their spirit is contagious. so contagious that now we join them on their "fun runs". but he is a little crazy...i think you have to be certifiably in order to gear up for this run.

what is also pretty amazing to me about these ultra runners is that most are over 40 years old. they are so healthy...its pretty humbling to get your butt kicked in a run by a 60 year old...let me tell you...it happens a lot.

i am so very proud of these guys...my brother namely. he got into running not that long ago. actually it was on a bet...he had consumed a few beers at the time and bet that he could beat me in a half marathon. the bet was that the loser had to either clean or pay someone to clean the winner's house. i tried to explain to him that i had an advantage because i had done it before...he didnt think it would be hard. and we did run it - me and bryan, jake and mandie and my brother-in-law and sister all ran in the Orange County 1/2 marathon in 2006 i think. anyway - i totally kicked his butt and the little booger never paid his debt....but i think it started a little spark somehow and got him into running. then we were introduced to trail running and fell even more in love. now the guy is way ahead of me on the trails...i can barely keep up with him - unless i get him on a day when his knee is hurting, then watch out! but honestly, he is inspiring to me and i love that we all have a hobby/sport we enjoy together...if you would have told me growing up that we would be spending time together as adults doing this i would have peed my pants laughing in your face.

bryan took some pics of the run on the trail on his phone, which i will try to get my hands on and post because it will probably make you second guess your earlier sarcastic "fun run" commentary.

(just to explain the pics - we waited for the runners around the 17 mile mark and cheered them on - bodie occupied himself throwing rocks in the water for about 1 1/2 hours - the second pic is of mandie, bryan and jake around 17 miles, the third is bryan at the finish line with his boys...and the fourth is what we did after the run - some fishin at Intake II)

speaking of fishing...i think bryson has discovered a new passion...oh my goodness did he go nuts over fishing. i mean - it does have everything he loves - water, worms, dirt, smelly things...sticks galore...trees to climb...he had a blast and it was so much fun to take him out. although after re-baiting his hook and untangling his line for the 145th time i was silently thanking the Lord that we get to come back in a month sans kids and fish...i love this place - part of me is home there - i can't wait for next month....and next year....when i become a participant and not just a cheerleader :)

Every Monday Matters - Monday #3 - Have Amber Alerts Sent to You

FACTS

• AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.
• 76% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within 3 hours of the abduction, 88.5% are dead within 24 hours, and 99% are dead within 7 days.
• 443 children have been reunited with their families because of AMBER Alerts.
• Nearly 100% of cell phones are eligible to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts as text messages.
• 100% of computers can have the AMBER Alert ticker downloaded onto them.
• AMBER Alerts are active in all 50 states.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Pay attention to AMBER Alert signs on the freeway or on TV.
• Sign-up to receive AMBER Alert text messaging on your cell phone.
• Download the AMBER Alert Ticker onto your computer.
• If you see or receive an AMBER Alert, don’t take it lightly. The perpetrator might be closer than you think.

 (via Every Monday Matters.org)


i didnt know that 443 children have been reunited with their families due to amber alerts - even 1 is amazing, but that number is staggering and motivating. so i added a ticker at the bottom of my blog and signed up for the amber alerts. could you imagine if we all had this how hard it would be for a perp to get away with kidnapping? something to think about....

Vintage Items Up in Shop!

Thanks to my trusty little mannequin, I was able to post up more in the vintage shop! i love the little boy embroidered numbers...too cute!

Gingham Dress Up in the Shop

i have a lot of this gingham left over...something tells me that this isn't the last of its kind...which is fine, because i so happen to find them darling...and soft...oh so soft. Its up in the shop!

Why you should buy your machine at a local store...

so...back 2 years ago now a little after i started sewing and started loving it and started seeing how it could be useful i decided my $99 singer that my husband bought me that last Christmas just wasn't doing the things i needed....like sew straight...or sew much of anything without a bobbin getting blocked...or something....so after talking with my very smart business savvy husband he suggested starting a business as a means of write-off and buying a machine.

so you see, Sweet B was never really intended to make money...it was started so that i would have a means to write off some of the bigger purchases (ie my machine) and also i could write off the fabrics and materials i used for my business. of course i did intend to sell stuff, but i never worried that my business is forever "in the red" because i get all these fabulous write offs that i wouldn't/couldn't otherwise.

a family friend of the Barnes happens to own The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay and knew he would know a little something about machines....and he did...and he really encouraged me to buy locally. he even put me in touch with the owner of AAA Sew N Vac in Torrance, whom he had known - Aman - he and his wife Amina own and run the store and Aman does all the repairs.

I can't say enough about them or the store. I love love love my machine. I bought it used, but had no issue with it, since i knew Aman fixed it up (and Aman could fix anything if it broke). in fact, i came in once because my needle had broken and stuck and he replaced a part and fixed it for free (and gave my machine a tune up in the process) anyone who has ever brought a machine in to be repaired knows how costly this can be...$100 per hour and about a 2 week waiting list i believe is the norm. Aman fixed it all for me while i waited. I paid for the machine on credit and interest free and paid monthly for about a year until it was paid off. now i have a machine for life and a place to take it if i ever need to again! i have been back to the store to learn how to do buttonholes, learn how to use my embroidery machine and last time i was there this super amazing woman gave me a mini-quilting lesson.

so...flash forward to the present, where i find myself still loving sewing...still loving my machine...but dreaming of a serger as well. i have been making a lot of garments - as you well know - and my machine does an overlock stitch but it is less than beautiful (because its only 1 thread you see...not my machine's fault in any way). i have been saving all my money from recent sales and saved *almost* enough to buy myself a serger...the rest was a mother's day present - thank you honey....did you know that you helped buy me a serger? Remember when we went here?  well that was my serger trip. and i learned how to thread it with both boys running around the store...not fun....not much retained. so i went back and tried to learn a few more things, but my brain was NOT working and silly me didnt write any of it down, so that was in vain...but i did learn that one needs a good serger book so i just got this one....anyone else have any recommendations for good serger books?

this dress is why i needed a book...which came after the dress...which is truly awful. i clearly need to work on my ruffles...and i clearly need to figure out what all these dern knobs on my whatchacallit are...i still dont know if this dress can even be saved...or if it should...any suggestions?

Happy Hollow

we went up north to San Jose for Mother's Day and surprised my mother-in-law. we like to drive up during the night when the boys sleep so that we can actually *gasp* talk and have a few hours of peace in the car. it stinks to get there at 1:30 in the morning, but the other alternative is constantly throwing objects/food back at Bodie and explaining to Bryson a million times that it takes a loooong time to go to Meema and Papas...so we'll suffer for sanity.

anyway, we went up Thur night so had the day Friday while the in-laws worked and i had always wanted to take the boys to Happy Hollow. last time we tried to go it was being renovated, so i was happy to hear that it was now open. Bryan was less than psyched because he used to go there as a kid and it was ghetto apparently. i tried to explain that things are different now...Happy Hollow has come into some money and is on the up and up. he obliged.

oh my goodness did the boys have fun. the place was kinda random (and expensive $12 per any person over 2) but there was a zoo and free rides for the kids (read: long lines) and a lot for them to do. it was perfect for the pre-schoolers - i think over 6 might get a little bored, but my kids had a blast.

There was a playground all decorated like redwood trees with big ole slides and climbing nets. i have never seen bryson so excited. he was literally screaming on the way down "wuuuuu...this is soooo much fun!" i mean - i take that boy to fun places....we have passes to Dland for goodness sakes, but this little play area was it for him. we peeled him from the slides long enough to make our way to the petting zoo and Bodie fell in love.

This deserves a collage. this was so stinkin funny. i am still laughing. hard. i have never seen a child react to a goat in this way. and i should know. i grew up with 2 goats. daisy and sweet pea. true story. so i have seen a lot kids react to goats and never have i seen one make out with them. he was in love with these goats. he just grabbed them and hugged on them and the funniest part was when he walked through the entire little area with his right arm headlocking the goat - the goat did not seem to mind either....everyone was cracking up. including us. still.

we peeled bodie off the goats and made our way around the rest of the park. it was such a fun day. i love having Bryan around especially at places like this...

finally useful

look! they're finally being useful around here...sorta....kinda...if i didnt have to mop up later after bryson held the button for about a minute straight...but yeah....on their way at least...hurrah!

happy *late* mother's day!

i voted that it should me mother's month in may...but no one heard...i hope everyone had a special mothers day - here is my mama (PS isnt she hot? check out that feathered hair!) i love this picture...can you guess which one is trying to squirm away? i wonder where bryson gets it.....hmmmm....and look at sweet Sara...i think i have replayed this exact scenario with my boys about a jillion times.
Mom - you are the best...we miss you so much! i thought of you often and sent you lots of love!

Every Monday Matters - Monday #2 - Turn Off Your TV

(again....here is the link to the website's more thorough explanation)

Turn Off Your TV

1. Turn off your TV today (ummmm....Lakers play-off game 4 is today...maybe tomorrow!)
2. Designate certain TV free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours
3. Remove TVs from bedrooms, kitchens, etc
4. Make a list of activities beside watching TV...then start doing them!
5. Avoid using TV as a reward - this only increases its power
6. Be more sensitive about programming - choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design and other educational themes


our relationship with TV i think is very healthy. we typically never turn it on during the day and usually watch recorded shows (most of which are from History or Smithsonian - like Pawn Stars or America the Story of Us or Life or Who Do You Think You Are) bryan's favorite thing to watch is golf and i get my reality fix in with So You Think You Can Dance and Project Runway. But they are all recorded and watched after the kids go to bed.

Bryson watches a movie almost every day. he rarely watches TV live. I sometimes let him watch a show "on demand" but for the most part he watches a movie because that is the only way i can get him to chill the freak out somedays.

in college i was a Communication Studies Major. we had a lot of discussions in my media classes regarding TV and its effect on children/adults. there are so many different studies all contradicting each other and frankly trying to say that Sesame Street is responsible for ADD kids is a little overboard to me. BUT the one thing i did take with me is that the 2 most harmful things on television BY FAR are 1) The Local News and 2) Commercials for Kids.

one of my professors taught his kids at an early age to detect the manipulation in commercials and would quiz them afterward and ask them what that commercial was trying to say, "they are trying to tell you dad that if you eat their cheeseburgers you will be happy and you will make your parents happy - and its not true! youll just get fat and develop heart problems if eaten in excess...." so that was an example, not sure if that is how it went - its how it goes in my head anyway. i think its a good idea anyway - to learn to analyze the messages in advertising. and the news! nothing is worse than the news. i can not stand the news on television. i get my news in the paper, NPR (both the radio station and the iPAD app - amazing!) and other resources, but never the local news. it is so severely skewed and so little of it contains actual useful material and is really meant to scare. anyway - i hope i turn more people off to it - you'll thank me...you'll be less fearful of your neighborhood!

i like this challenge though because i think it is important to have a worked-out boundary for TV - like "no TV on Sundays" which i like (bryan doesnt because golf is on then) and we dont have one...but its good to talk about as a family - with your kids about why we shouldnt watch too much TV.

Do you have set boundaries regarding TV? Do you own a TV? I am curious to see how others have already hashed through this...

Kitty Zoodie in the Shop

i posted the kitty zoodies today in the shop - go tell all your friends!

Simple Sundress

my sister is so sweet. every baby shower she has gone to in the past couple of years, she comes to me for a gift. and the best part is that she either pays or babysits. so i score. i can't decide which i would rather receive :)

so she needed a baby shower gift and i was a little tired of my patterns - seeing as how i like to make like 10 in a row of each pattern i get, i believe it is understandable. i am almost....almost...to a point where i think i can venture out and make my own pattern....its still a little scary....like swimming without floaties...

so i was happy to try out Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sundress pattern. it called for single fold bias tape, which i had never used, but was super easy. very UNLIKE its evil cousin double fold bias tape, which i have yet to master. the only negative thing about her patterns is that there are not a lot of corresponding pictures to the "steps", which i find nice since i am such a visual learner. i had to carefully read each step approximately 46 times before i felt i knew what to do next.

is it weird that i am still surprised when i am finished and it all comes together? i love that about sewing/creating.

PS...do you like my mannequin? bryson wants to name her Kajsa...creepy...

Star Wars Day and Darth Vader Voice Skins

did you know today is Star Wars Day? me neither...i just heard...so in honor of this very sacred day, i introduce the newest voice skins for your tom tom...too too awesome for words....

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

yesterday i used the book again and found a park i had never heard of - Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. its huge and nestled right in that canyon that the 73 tollroad runs through. its breathtakingly gorgeous in there. i secretly went here to scope it out for trail running. i fully intend to run that marathon after this baby...i have dreams about it. i can't wait to start up again...although this break is nice...must be honest...so i thought it would be good to scope it out and take the boys on a nice bike ride....

the book talks about "Cave Rock" and that kids can climb up into it and slide back down and farther up the trail is "Robbers Cave" - which i know bryson would have gone apes over...

what the book doesnt say is that "Cave Rock" is about 2.5 miles up the road (with minor hills) bryson did it like a champ, but i know for most kiddos it would have been a challenge...bryson seems to have above average energy levels...which is why i pick activities like this for him because the faster you can wear him out the easier he is the rest of the day...its my little secret...i mean - i really believe in promoting physical activity with youngsters and teaching them that a healthy lifestyle is important :) although the bike ride was pretty easy, it was a challenge for me too - my belly kept hitting Bodie's seat and carrying an extra 30 pounds on my bike up hills is not so much fun...but for most i believe it is an easy ride and the road for about 2.25 miles is paved, so that is nice - paved road and no cars = perfect for bryson.

what the book also doesnt say is that there are rattlesnakes everywhere....like everywhere. on our way to the cave i saw one in the middle of the road and pointed it out, how cool! "look bryson a snake!" and then...upon closer examination and seeing the rattle at the end, "uh...stay right there bryson...this is a rattlesnake...they are dangerous...but get a little closer so you can see" and we watched it for a couple minutes as it slithered back in the grass. so cool! and slightly scary! but we were a safe distance and he hadnt rattled at us.

so we get to the trailhead for "Cave Rock" and no bikes. i didnt bring my ergo because i wasnt expecting to have to hike. i was NOT about to put bodie down in rattlesnake village for a jaunt to some "Cave Rock" so we headed back. bryson was a little upset, but i am sure that we made the wise decision.

oh...and then...on our way back to the car i almost ran over a second rattlesnake! "BRYSON! WATCH OUT!" that was freaky - those suckers blend well! so....maybe we will check when rattlesnake season is over and plan a run then...

Bryson also wanted to tell his side of the story - check it out: www.brysonbarnes.blogspot.com

lazy garden update

our garden just popped out in the past week i feel. everything planted in the mel's mix has gone nuts. i did an experiment and planted everything in the top box in mel's and everything in the bottom is organic potting soil...okay not so much an experiment as i didnt buy enough mel's mix cause i apparently am horrible at math and cubic feet...everything in the mel's mix (not sure if this comes through in the picture) is also greener - prettier - healthier looking. i seriously love this stuff, can't you tell? the secret is to get it nice and soaked...let it be a little sponge...that way our socal heat everything doesnt fry up! its hard though - you feel like you are over-watering...but we havent done that yet...and you dont need to do it every day either...i think its more water efficient...im totally making that up...i also think mel's mix is a great mud mask...i made that up too.

bryson and bodie have been enjoying the strawberries as they come...if they dont, then some uninvited guest of some sort will!

speaking of unwanted guests....we have quite a few snails...i am thinking of trying a tip i once heard of digging a hole and placing a cup of beer in the soil next to the plants the snails love (i.e. lettuce and spinach) and the sweetness of the beer attracts them and drowns them...anyone done this? not sure if it will work or if i will just end up with a bunch of drunken snails (hey - that would make a great band name)

our other unwanted garden guest is bodie...we need to really fence off the whole garden because he likes to play golf with the watermelon seedlings....yeah...bryan is not so happy about that!