Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category

There is a lot of paperwork and planning involved with a Catholic Baptism and when you’re a Military family that moves around, it’s even more involved when you have Godparents that live out of state and you aren’t registered with a Church for very long.  But, we finally were able to have our younger two children Baptized this past Sunday at Blinder Memorial Chapel on Camp Pendleton.  It was a beautiful day spent with our family!  Thank you to my sister, Jessica, for agreeing to be their GodMother and my Mom for coming to celebrate with us!

Big Sister posing outside before Mass

My handsome little man (he insisted on wearing the Rosary that auntie gave him).

My sweet baby girl, wearing the necklace that auntie gave her and the pin my Mama gave me when I was Baptized.

My family with Godmother “auntie” Jessi

Myself, Mama, and Sister with the P’s

Since Peyton ended her Kindergarten year reading well above her grade level,  I wanted to make sure I kept her reading throughout the Summer.  Summer Reading Programs are a great, fun way to keep the kids  engaged.  This year we have joined the DoD Summer Reading Program: Reading is So Delicious. 

This is the 3rd year that the DoD has offered a Summer Reading Program and you can register your child at any of the Military Installations Libraries.  The main goal is to keep your child reading during their summer school break, and they make it fun by raffling prizes (our Library is giving away several sets of tickets to Sea World!), hosting a weekly story time with crafts, and handing out themed material such as Tshirts, pencils, and erasers.

Our personal goal is to read 100 books (we only have early readers in this house so the books aren’t too lengthy) this summer and we are well on our way having completed 25 already.  However, reading 10 books earns them an entry for the grand prizes at the library!

If you are interested in Registering you children contact your local installation’s library.  Not Military?  No problem!  Most of the local city libraries also offer a Summer Reading Program!  Also, you can check out PBS kids~they are hosting an online summer reading challenge, or the Scholastic Summer Reading challenge.

One of the items we added to our Summer Bucket List a little late was to “Go to the Farmers Market”.  Last Sunday, that is exactly what we did!  I have to say, the North San Diego Farmers Market was a little smaller than I had hoped.  It is really somewhere you could just swing by and pick up your produce for the week not really a “make a day of it” kind of market.  But, it is located on a historic farmstead (which just happens to be dirctly behind a golf center~oh today’s world) and you can tour the farmhouse.  It was 90* last Sunday so we didn’t, but I’d like to go back  and check it out!

The P’s LOVE fruit especially berries so they were happy with their purchases of Strawberries and a Berry/Eugenia mix.

The only other fruit we found there last week was citrus so we didn’t buy any.  The woman there informed us that they are very local farmers (San Diego County only, unlike bigger markets that bring in produce from all over SoCal) and that each week varies.  She assured me that this week there would be plums and other stone fruits.

Want to visit?

The North San Diego Farmers Market is open on Sundays from 11-4pm at the Sikes Adobe Farmstead 12655 Sunset Drive, Escondido, CA 92025.  They do accept credit/debit cards but you must get “Market Money” from the booth at the front and there is a $1 charge for every $20 you get from them.  In my opinion it’s better just to bring some cash.

If you are looking for a Farmer’s Market in your area check out: Eat Local Grown for a map of local gowers and Farmers Markets

The P’s have never been to the fair so when Peyton was invited to perform with her dance studio we jumped on the chance to take the whole family (well, most of the family….thank you USMC for stealing Wunderdad from us while he was on leave) and cross another item off our Summer Bucket List.

I was really pleased with the ‘Family Friendly’ quality of the San Diego County Fair.  Aside from the massive crowds, which alone can give a mama a massive coronary, the people working the fair were very pleasant.  Seriously, it seems like they were mostly high school kids and senior citizens, quite a far cry from the typical ‘carnies’ you envision.  And the crowd itself was mainly families and teenagers.  We were there on a Wednesday afternoon so I don’t know if the demographics change a little on the weekends or at night.

The performance was a success and afterwards the P’s took a spin through KiddieLand.

Having little ones I really appreciated this area of rides and games that was specifically for kids!  The rides took an average 3-4 tickets as compared to 4-6, and the P’s had a great time on the ’roller coaster’.

We were lucky enough to come home with a new family member too!  Meet Goldy the Goldfish.  At the goldfish game it is $2 for 15 tries or $5 will guarantee you a fish in a tank.  Guess which one we did!

For Pixi’s enjoyment we perused the Agri-Fair (She loves her “A-mee-mows”) where we saw cows, piggies, sheep, chickens, and lots of  ”Bunnneeee!”s.  (pictured)

A trip to the fair wouldn’t be complete without some sort of treat so we finished off our day with a Snow Cone (cotton candy flavor)!  I didn’t get a treat (although for surviving 5 hours and a dance performance at the county fair, solo with 3 P’s I should be awarded a medal) so I may need to go back just to have some funnel cake.

Planning on visiting the San Diego County Fair?

• The SDfair runs through July 4th
• Adult admission is $13, Children 6-12 $7 (Tuesdays they are FREE), and 5 and under are FREE

Welcome to motherhood! You have a lot a lot on your plate right now, and one of the many seemingly daunting tasks before you is getting back your pre-baby body. Here are some quick tips to help fit exercise into your new mommy routine.

Before making any changes to your routine, speak to your doctor about your plans for exercise and dieting. During pregnancy, you consulted with your doctor about choices concerning pain management, umbilical cord blood banking, and immunizations but your doctor’s involvement doesn’t have to stop after delivery. Your doctor knows your health well and can make informed recommendations about the best time and way to go about losing the extra baby pounds.

Getting back into tip-top shape does not have to require several hours a week at the gym. Some new moms form exercise and support groups. You can meet at a local park or school track and walk and talk with other new moms or sign up for mom and baby yoga classes together. This not only provides valuable exercise and bonding time with your baby, but also connects you with other moms who are going through the same things you are.

Dance with your baby. Turn up the tunes and let loose! Babies love motion and music so it is a great bonding experience. They are used to the motion of your walking and moving during pregnancy. Hold your child close while you dance. This has the added benefit of providing mother-baby bonding.

Another tip is to use your baby while you exercise for resistance training. Lift her up to strengthen your arms. Hold her and squat or lunge a little bit. Get creative and try new things. Make eye contact with your child during your exercise.

Some moms enjoy wearing their baby in a front carrier. It is like a reverse backpack that holds baby close. This enables mothers to carry on their normal, everyday activities. You can go shopping with your baby this way. Park the car farther away than you usually do. Make a few extra loops around the grocery store or shopping mall to burn extra calories.

Check your local library or video store for exercise videos. There are many popular exercise videos for new moms. Many of them even include baby into the workout routines. Baby yoga is a growing trend. Workouts for new moms are nice because they take your special needs into account. For example: modifications for a woman recovering from a c-section or episiotomy.

Not all exercise has to include the baby. If you have a video you already like that does not include carrying extra weight, let the child have their tummy time or play on a mat while you sneak in a few minutes of cardio. Lay him on a blanket while you work in some sit-ups.

The most important thing is to be sure to support your baby whenever you incorporate her into your exercises. By staying flexible and exercising a little at a time when your body feels ready and when you have a few moments, you’ll notice the pounds will fall off in no time.

“Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.”

This year the P’s made a gift for Father’s Day.  Since Daddy is preparing to head out again we thought a pillowcase to take with him would be perfect!

I bought a tan pillow case to match the sheets he’ll be using and we used red and blue paint to add each of the P’s handprints.  Since the P’s say “Now I lay me down to sleep” everynight as part of their bedtime routine I came up with a little verse that started with the same phrase.  I used silver puff paint to print it onto the pillow case.

It reads:

 Now I lay me down to sleep, 

Our handprints are here for you to keep,

To remember exactly the way they are,

 Even when you are so far. 

And we will keep you in our hearts,

Until the day we’re no longer apart.

We Love You Daddy!

This wasn’t on our original bucket list but was something that our MAG (Marine Air Group~ aka a group of squadrons) put together for the kids.  We did a full tour of the Firehouse on base and had a wonderufl time.  It was totally entertaining and very educational!

Even little Pixi got in on the action climbing into the Big Red Engine for a photo op!  The kids toured the kitchen, sleep quarters, conference room, and living room.  They got to check out the inside of the trucks and learned what just about every piece of equipment is used for!  They also learned about the ambulance and all of it’s equipment.

The final part of the tour was a Firefighter demonstration.  This is by far my favorite part.  Not only is all of their gear pretty cool but it is SO important for children, especially the little ones, to be comfortable with them.  This firefighter put on all of his gear, icluding his oxygen tank and mask and crawled around on his hands and knees (just as he would in a fire) talking to them.  Great experience for the kids to know what Firefighters look and sound like should they be coming to help them in the event of a fire, and to not be afraid and run away.

Another great day with another great adventure!

***Most City Fire Departments hold tours during Fire Prevention Week each year so keep a look out for information on those!  Always a great experience for the kids.***

Our Summer Bucket list is in full swing.  The kids are having a blast and have been surprisingly VERY well behaved!  Today we did a quick lunch and visit to the San Diego Zoo, which also happens to be item #1 on our Summer Bucket list.

We’ve been Zoo members, which also includes membership to the Zoo Safari Park, since my oldest was about 15 months and it never gets old!  With two parks that are very large we love to go and spend a couple of hours, always seeing something new.  The children’s zoo, complete with a petting corral and play structure is always a huge hit with the P’s too!

It’s been years since we went to the Summer Nighttime Zoo and we are really looking forward to it this year! The Nighttime Zoo starts June 23rd and runs until September 3rd, from 2pm-9pm.  The San Diego Zoo is a great place for an evening outing with the kids to enjoy some great entertainment!

If you are a local resident I highly recommend purchasing a year membership.  With Adult single day passes being $42, an $88 membership (or $109 for two people in the same household) quickly pays for itself!  Also, Active Duty Military are always FREE!

Woot!  School is out and we have one heck of a Bucket list for this summer!  This was my first year with two of my P’s in school (sort of, P2 only went two days a week) and I have missed my daily adventures with them so we are doing it up this summer!

To make it officially a ‘Bucket’ list I found this cute little bucket in the Target Dollar section (if you haven’t figured out by now, I love me some Target and I love me some dollar deals!).  We wrote each item from our list on wooden craft sticks with colored markers. (I plan on doing something with the sticks after we complete each item, but more on that later).  I like this idea because it makes it easy to add more to our list later.

So….what are planning this summer?  Here’s our list of 50 fun summer activities!  (I have to say some may not be happening, there was a little bit of over immagination/wishful thinking going on when the P’s were brainstorming).

1.   Go to the Zoo
2.   Go to the Wild Animal Park
3.   Go to Seaworld
4.   Play in a splashpad
5.   Have a picnic
6.   Fly a kite
7.   Go swimming
8.   Go to the beach
9.   Camping
10.   Roast Marshmallows
11.   Have a play date
12.   Go to the fair
13.   Take a Road Trip
14.   Join a summer reading program
15.   Read 100 books
16.   Build a sandcastle
17.   Go to a Baseball game
18.   Play with flashlights outside (flashlight tag)
19.   Have a waterballoon fight
20.   Visit the tidepools
21.   Family bike ride
22.   Try a new park
23.   Go to the library
24.   Visit a museum
25.   Look at the boats
26.   Visit Coronado Island
27.   Watch fireworks
28.   Eat a snowcone
29.   Ride our scooters
30.   Go to the movies
31.   Have a BBQ
32.   Take a walk to look at flowers
33.   Watch the sunset on the beach
34.   Go to a waterpark
35.   Play putt putt golf
36.   Collect Seashells
37.   Bird Watching
38.   Feed the Ducks
39.   Make S’mores
40.   Go on a treasure hunt
41.   Go for a hike
42.   Have a dance party
43.   Make ice cream
44.   Take a boat ride on the sea (P2′s request…one of the one’s I think may not happen)
45.   Go for a train ride
46.   Make lemonade
47.   Climb on rocks
48.   Climb trees
49.   Check out some airplanes
50.   Have a bubble party

So what are your plans for the Summer?  Did you make a bucket list?  I’d love to hear what you have planned and maybe get a few more ideas for our list!

*****We’ve added more!*****

1. Go to a farmer’s market
2. Have a Family Game night
3. Visit a Historical Site
4. Visit a Farm
5. Dig in the dirt/make mud pies

As I was putting together our “Summer Survival” end of the year teacher gifts, I got the idea to put together “Welcome To Summer” buckets for the kids!

Today is P1′s last day of Kindergarten (seriously, how did THAT happen?!), and I since she was kind of bummed to hear she wouldn’t have any school for over 2 months, I think she’ll really enjoy her little gift.

I grabbed some fun stuff from the dollar tree and put it all into a beach bucket.  Nothing is very extravagant, just a few fun things just for Summer!

I wrote on the sand bucket with a permanent marker and inside I put some new goggles for swimming, bubbles, squirt gun, water balloons, a beach ball, and fun crazy straw cup.

Today is P2′s last day of preschool (he moves on to Pre-K next year) so I put one together for him, and I couldn’t leave out baby so she has her own bucket too

I plan on giving them their buckets when I pick them up from school today (and I just may have a car FULL of beach balls!) and we are heading to the pool!

What do you have planned for the end of the school year?  Any fun “Welcome to Summer” traditions?  I’d love to hear them!