Lorax Truffula Tree Craft

Lorax truffula tree craft

Have you and your kids survived the heat?  I’m going to admit that I’ve locked mine inside the house and turned on movies.  Yes, I have been letting my kids watch television.  I know that doctors warn you about that sort of thing, that eventually antennas will start growing out of their ears and they won’t be able to sit still in school.  But, if I let them go outside in this heat they won’t be able to sit still due to their heat rash and severe burns.  So the movie wins over the blazing heat!

After going through our Disney collection my kids were starting to get extremely bored so I decided to go out and splurge on the new “Lorax” movie; by splurge I mean that I bought it on sale, of course.  My kids loved the movie, especially Thing 2 who has now told me he would like to get rid of our Plastic Ikea kid’s plates.  So it has now been added to our favorite’s rotation. 

While talking to my girlfriend, Karrie, about the movie she told me that at her local mall were doing free Lorax truffula tree crafts over the weekend.  She graciously emailed me a few pictures and now I have turned off the kid’s television and put them in front of the craft table.  Care to join us?  Here is how to do it:

Lorax Truffula Tree Craft

Small Playdough containers (any size would probably do just fine)
Some pipe cleaners (Dollar Tree sells them)
Tissue paper (Dollar Tree also sells)
Craft Pom-Pom balls (you can check Dollar Tree or Michaels- make sure you use a 40% off coupon)
Glue

Twist two pipe cleaners together, glue the tissue and pom-pom’s to the top, stick in the playdough. 

 

You can add your own flair to this project, but either way this will be a fun activity for your kids during the heat without rotting their brain- like my kids!

The Mars Rover LANDED!

Picture found on:
http://mashable.com/2012/08/04/simulator-mars-curiosity-rover/

Did you watch Mars Rover Curiosity land on Mars last night?  My husband was holding his breath as we watched the live footage of Mission Control at JPL in Pasadena (we recently visited their open house, check out information here: JPL's free open house ), once they stood up screaming so did my husband.  His passion was not just because of his love for science; I married a very smart nerd. 

My nerd is an Engineer who makes custom sensors, and he has two of them on Curiosity.  His contribution to the Mars Rover will be used once they start taking samples of Mars (of the rock, etc) in about a month.  But needless to say, my kids (and I) are so proud today of my husband and his very large brain.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the footage of JPL’s Mission Control from last night, then check it out here:

This was one of the very first pictures taken (found on Nasa.gov):

And if you want to geek out your kids today and do a Science lesson, then maybe consider making a few Mars Rovers crafts like these:

This was a great craft made out of an orange juice container and items found around your house.  Here is the link to directions:

http://www.looledo.com/index.php/milk-carton-mars-rover.html

Another great craft made out of household items.  Here is the link to directions:

http://mysubmarinetothefuture.blogspot.com/2010/05/everyday-craft-mars-rover-red-planet.html

There are also a few cool websites with games and coloring pages for the kids:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov//menu/do//redirected/

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/

http://www.edupics.com/coloring-page-mars-rover-i9960.html

Education during summer is the best because you can make it fun and tailor it to what your kids will like as individuals and not as an oversized class.  And it’s all- FREE!

Edible Gold Olympic Medals

Maybe I’ve told you this once or twice before, but I LOVE the Olympics.  Love them.  As I type this blog post I am parked in front of my television watching them, at 10pm, with a sink full of dishes!  I have dragged my kids into this weird obsession and now we are constantly figuring out ways to celebrate them in between commercial breaks.

Our latest idea came after watching the Fab 5 gymnastic girls win those awesome gold medals.  We saw them shine and sparkle around their necks on the podium and realized that we wanted our own; but better.  So how can anything be better than real gold (I know, they aren’t real gold but don’t tell my kids that)?  Edible gold!

Thing #2 (my odd little 4 year old) loves to make “shape cookies” (sugar cookies) so we decided to make up a batch and cut them into circles. 

He wasn't too happy I took this picture.  He was "working really hard and didn't want pictures". The life of a 4 year old!

After we took them out of the oven we frosted them in gold and added some ribbon (left over from the 4^th of July).  We made edible gold medals.  Super easy, didn’t cost us anything since my cupboards are always stocked with baking ingredients needed to make cookies, and didn’t take up much time. 

Here is Thing #2, so proud of his medal.  He’s also holding the Olympic Torch craft we made the other day, which obviously completes the look (or at least that is what he insisted).

My Mr. Olympia- Thing #2

Now I’m off to find a big container of Tums, which serves me right for eating half of the raw dough and licking the frosting bowl clean.  You would think that my expanding waist would stop me from eating junk, but for some reason it doesn’t.  Fingers crossed that I come across a Groupon for liposuction soon!

Here is Keri’s recipe for Shape/Sugar Cookies and frosting (it’s our very favorite):

Dough
2 sticks of butter (room temp)
1.5 cups of white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla (clear if you have it)
1 teaspoon of almond extract
2.75 cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Mix dry in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.  Slowly put the dry in with the wet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 6-7 minutes.

Frosting (do not double)

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (room temp)
2 cups powder sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract (clear if you have)
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons of milk or heavy cream (slowly put in and watch consistency, sometimes you need more or less)

Mix together & frost cookies!

Why I love the Swedes!

Summer sounds like so much fun when you are busy driving carpool all day, helping with homework, and doing fundraising.  But right about now (July/August) you realize that being stuck at home all day with these heathens and trying to find cheap (aka- free) things to do with them for entertainment (besides the television that they would love to park themselves in front of from sun up to sun down) is not very fun.  Thankfully though, Orange County has Swedes.  And every mom should LOVE the Swedes.

There is this huge building right off the 405 FWY in Costa Mesa, you may have seen it from time to time.  It’s this discount home furnishing store called “Ikea”, I’m sure I am the very first person to tell you about them because none of you have ever been poor and furnished your first apartment with their products that take all day to put together; and then you grew up and had kids only to go back to their store and buy their products because you were tired of your kids trashing your expensive stuff.  Oops, I lost my point… okay, Ikea is your friend.  As a mom with bored kids during summer, you should love Ikea.

Why do you love Ikea?  Because of their FREE babysitting.  Seriously, not even 24 Hour Fitness, which I pay a hefty monthly membership to, allows my kids to stay for free.  As a matter of fact, it seems like their pricing is always going up for day care and they will call you once you finally start to break a sweat on the treadmill and tell you that your kid looked upset and maybe you should take him home… without a refund.  Awesome.

Again, I regress.  So Ikea has a day care area with a ball pit that my kids love.  You can leave them there for an hour and you should usually show up in the morning, because it does fill up pretty quickly.  Now, the cherry on top of this amazing Swedish Sundae is on Tuesdays kids eat for free at Ikea (thank you Jessica my best deal finding friend).  Alright so let me explain how your Tuesdays should play out:

8am- Throw some food at the children and hope that they don’t hurt themselves or each other as they shovel it down

9am- Open your first soda, take a deep breath and throw them into the car

9:30am- Arrive early to Ikea and remind them how they have to be on their best behavior or else they are grounded for life

10am- Check them into the daycare for an hour and silently thank God for creating Swedes

11am- After casually walking around for an hour, ALONE, you can calmly go pick up the kids from their play area

11:05am- You are already back to being stressed out so head up to the Ikea food court to grab your 2^nd coke and the kids free lunch

11:10am- Throw the food at the monsters

11:20am- Finally eat your food while the crazy children play in the play area (small play toys in the eating area) or the kids department (located right next to the food court)

11:45am- Throw the kids back in the car (and the items you bought to recreate something you saw on Pinterest) and drive home.

12:15pm- Turn the television back on for the kids and check the clock to see how much longer you have until your husband is home and can take over corralling the bulls.

SEE!  Your day could have a tiny window of less stress and your kids can have full bellies without you doing the cooking or opening your wallet.  This is a win, win.  I love Ikea.  And now… I’m headed out the door to go check it out.  Sorry daycare staff, I hope they pay you well because my kids are monkeys that still need a lot of training.

  

Heads up, here is a list of “family friendly” items the Costa Mesa Ikea offer:

IKEA Costa Mesa offers a wide array of family friendly services to make your shopping experience more complete. You will find:

-Smaland: a FREE supervised play area to leave your potty trained children between 37” – 50” for one hour while you shop.
-children’s play areas throughout the store
-family parking
-family restrooms
-shopping strollers
-bibs, bottle warmers, high chairs and a play area for children in the restaurant
-free children’s activities throughout the year
-99¢ menu items for children in our restaurant

The most important people in the world deserve furnishings made just for them. You’ll find plenty of colorful, playful products for kids’ rooms and the family living spaces. And of course, lots and lots of TOYS!

The Great Park in Irvine Summer Olympic Games

ParentingOC (that free magazine you look through while waiting in the doctor's office) is sponsoring a fun and FREE event for the kids this Saturday, July 28th at the Great Park in Irvine.  Here are all the details:

Celebrate the start of the Summer 2012 Olympic Games! Join us for a fun-filled day of competition for the kids that will include a variety of Olympic themed games and activities. Visitors will also enjoy arts and crafts, entertainment, vendor booths, a delicious sampling of gourmet food trucks as well asParenting OC’s Parenting & Kids Expo! Space is limited, pre-registration is required. Participants must be entering first through sixth grade in the fall of 2012.
Time(s): 8:00 am - 2:00 pm 
Location:North Lawn 

Hangar Café opens at 6:00 p.m.
Music begins at 8:15 p.m.
Free Admission, $10 Parking

Athlete check-in starts at 8 a.m.
Registration required, spaces limited
Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25

Link for FREE registration:

http://www.ocgp.org/events/great-summer-games-featuring-parenting-oc-expo/

This is the perfect way to spend Saturday afternoon with the family without spending a ton of money (make sure you pack lunches).  I plan on entertaining Thing #1 with the competitions (I signed him up for 4 of them), Thing #2 with the crafts, and Thing #3 will roll around in his stroller just enjoying the sun.

Are you going to check it out?  Maybe I will see you there!

The Olympics- Craft #1

“The Olympics are coming!  The Olympics are coming!” is exactly what my kids have been screaming for over two months now.  They are so excited for the Olympics that they have been forcing me to watch the Olympic trials (you can find them on Cox On Demand for free) over and over again.  So needless to say, my kids are wanting to one day go to the Olympics as soccer players, gymnasts, track & field stars, and any other sport star that has a chance to win a gold medal.

In an effort to entertain my kids I started to think of fun ways to bring the Olympics into our home for cheap.  So for every day this week we are going to work on one Olympic craft that will get us ready to go for the opening ceremonies this Friday, July 27^th (7:30-12:00am on NBC).Our first craft we made today was an Olympic Torch.  My oldest son, Thing #1, did a craft similar to this in his kindergarten class a few months back.  The only problem was they used tissue paper and we didn’t have any.  What we did have was paper and crayons (thank you Back to School sales) so he came up with another way to make it work.  Here are the details:

Olympic Torch Craft for Kids

Items needed:

Water bottle

4 sheets of paper (can also use construction paper or tissue)

Crayons

Tape

Color one sheet of paper red, one sheet yellow, and one sheet orange.  

Thing #1 explained to me that fire has more than just red in it, so this will make it look more “natural”.  One they are colored, rip them into strips.  

Take the strips and bunch them up (twisting the bottom) and shove them into the empty water bottle.  

Lastly, take the last sheet of paper and draw the Olympic rings on it and tape to the bottle.   Enjoy!

Tomorrow we will be working on gold medals.  I have no idea how we will make them, but I have all night to come up with an idea without going to the store and buying items; because I’m tired of finding adorable Pinterest crafts and going to the store and spending $25 to make them.  Doesn’t Pinterest understand?  I’m on a budget!!!

The OVERPRICED oc fair is in town!

So my Facebook feed has been swamped with people posting their pictures from the OC Fair.  Have you thrown the family in the car yet and driven to Costa Mesa for a day filled with overpriced rides, expensive deep friend chicken legs wrapped in 1 lb. of bacon, and indulged in the numerous carnival games that are almost impossible to win? 

Can you tell how I feel about the fair?  I feel bad, I really wished I loved it... but I don't.  I'm a mom with three kids on a VERY freshly squeezed budget and I'm honestly not nearly as patient as I wish I was.  I will confess: there have been times in my kids life where I have had to raise my voice; there have been times where I have had to raise my voice every other minute for every hour for every day for a week straight.  And the crowds at the fair, while keeping track of all of them, listening to them whine about what they want to eat or what ride they want to go on, while adding up the expense... will put me in a hospital!

So, I avoid the fair.  My nerves thank me.  My husband (the penny counter) thanks me.  And my oranges that have almost nothing left to squeeze... really thank me.

Your turn:
Are you going to skip the fair this year in an effort to avoid hospitalization fees?  Will you go and end up regretting it when you realize (after you come home) how much you spent?  Are is the fair the very best thing since New Kids on the Block and you think its a reasonable price?

Just remember-- that $100+ you spend could have been spent on a nice relaxing day at a spa WITHOUT your kids! ;)

Spruce up a boring hallway

We have a hallway.  Thats the end to that sentence since there is nothing else to explain about it.  It is a hallway; a long, boring, dark hallway.  So I decided to spruce it up a little.

I found a vinyl quote on clearance at Target.  Usually I'm not a fan of vinyl lettering on my walls, but once I read the quote ("I dream of painting and then I paint my dream- VanGough") I thought it would be perfect.  So I paid $3 and headed out to Home Depot.

After walking up and down a few aisles I finally found the eye hooks and picture frame wiring.  I grabbed the sizes that I wanted, paid for them (of course), and with extreme excitement I headed home to put it all on my wall.

So, here is the final outcome of my hallway renovation (I found the clips at Ikea, but you could probably find them at Target or any other superstore):

My kids art in my boring hallway... perfection.

My kids love to come home and fill it with their artwork and I love to walk past it (while headed to do laundry) and remind myself how awesome they are (even when they are in the background screaming or farting or burping or any other nasty body noise). 

Hope this project helps give you some ideas on how to fill a wasted space with... priceless art!

Day 3- Bryce Canyon, Sister Wives, and Banana Boats

Our third day of the vacation ended up being my very favorite day.  I wasn’t expecting it to be, especially with my kids and their non-stop bickering; but their brotherly love couldn’t even ruin our day, we got to experience the amazing, beautiful, and incredibly breathtaking Bryce Canyon. 

The beginning of our morning started out great when Keri made us a Birds Nest for breakfast (recipe to follow blog post), which tasted great and was one of those “one pan meals” which was guys liked because they did the dishes afterwards.  We then packed up the boys (yes, no little girls between us… two families… six boys) and headed out. 

Stopping in a little town along our way I got my first glance of real life Sister Wife.  Unlike that show on TLC, this wife didn’t look like you and I.  She was dressed in a long dress (something you saw back in the day on Little House on the Prairie) with a bonnet, boots, and her long hair.  Sadly, I couldn’t look away.  I was in shock, even though we’ve all heard of polygamist it just seems weird to actually see one.  Then I felt bad, like I should grab her and smuggle her to California and hide her from the pervert old man she was forced to marry (again, reality is nothing like that TLC show).  But, my husband wouldn’t allow me to kidnap her (or the cowboy that also looked very tempting to take home) so we continued on.

When we pulled into Bryce Canyon it looked just like any other park; a few trees and some grass.  We sat in our car scratching our heads at why this would be considered a National Park and why there were so many people pulling in behind us.  Then we parked our car, got out, and walked over to the lookout.  This is what we saw:

Bryce Canyon

After our jaws dropped open and we finished taking a TON of photos, we threw the kids on our backs, shoved the water in our pockets, tightened our shoelaces, and headed down the very steep trail to the bottom.  The red sand was formed into these odd shapes called “hoodoos” which from a distance were impressive but from up close were magnificent.  I could try to come up with a few more adjectives to explain how I felt, but instead… here are some pictures, you tell me what you think:

Bryce Canyon

Random Tree growing in between the rock

The trail going down- filled with switchbacks

At the end of the trail, this was your view

Wonder what I looked like?  This is me, my patient husband, and Thing #3

After a long day hiking down the hoodoos, we headed back to camp.  The kids enjoyed a round of miniature golf while Keri cooked up some sausage & potatoes (another one pan recipe).  At the end of the night we made some yummy Banana Boats (thank you Pioneer Woman) and some Roasted Starbursts (yes, you actually put the starburst on the stick and cook them over the fire… try it).   

I forgot to take a picture of the roasted Starburst (bad blogger), this picture is borrowed from mommygoingcrazy.blogspot.com

Sadly, this was our last night camping.  It was bittersweet as we started to get our stuff organized for our departure the next morning.  But the little cherry on top of our three night stay was that evening taking $5 zip line adventure... in the dark!  It was an awesome experience and a reasonable price (done at the Ponderosa) which got us very excited to set off for our next stop… the Grand Canyon!

If you haven’t already “liked” us on Facebook, make sure you do!  I often post daily deals that don’t get posted on this blog and I ramble… which at times can be mildly entertaining! J  Also make sure to “follow” our blog so that you will be notified when there is a new blog post.  I would hate for you to miss any of our awesomeness!

Up next:  Day 4- The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Birds Nest Recipe (AKA- Hen House)

Hash browns (one container of the dry Costco hash browns)
Eggs (we used about 6)
Sausage (one package of Jimmy Dean)
Onion (about half of a yellow onion)
Cheese (as much as your family enjoys)

Brown sausage in skillet.

Add hash browns when sausage is cooked & drained.

Leave a little grease in the pan- cook until almost done. Add onions, stir & cook. Add eggs to sausage mixture and cook.

When eggs are done add cheese and melt. Serve with toast and fruit.

Banana Boats (from The Pioneer Woman)-

We’ve made these at home also, just cooked in our oven.  The kids love them!

8 bananas

1 bag caramel bits or caramels cut into bits
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 package original graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

Split the bananas lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through. The goal is to create a boat to hold the ingredients. Load the bananas 1/4 cup each of the caramel bits, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Crumble 1 whole graham cracker onto each loaded banana. Wrap individually in 8-by-10-inch squares of foil, and then place near the campfire to melt the candies. Open up and eat with a spoon.

FREE slurpie

Happy 11th of July... or better known as 7/11. 

Today between 11am-7pm grab your kids and drag them down to the local 7/11 and pick up a FREE slurpie.  Now, it's not a big slurpie (it's 7.11 oz)... but it's FREE.  So invite the neighbor kids, bring one over to your husband at work and look like a good wife, or just drive from store to store picking up a bunch of free one's for yourself.

If you don't know where your nearest 7/11 is (which is just plain weird), then search here for the closest location:
http://www.7-eleven.com/locator.aspx

Squeezed Lemon Sighting

It's summer.  It's hot.  All of us our thisty, but you don't need to get into your car and drive to McDonald's (they make enough money as it is).  Why don't you stop by a local LEMONADE STAND and make a kids day!  Growing Oranges has decided (thank you Debra & Lauren for the idea) to have weekly postings of locations to local lemonade stands. 

If you live around the area, then stop by and help support some local kids.

If you are planning on having a lemonade stand, email us the information (location, date, time, and price) to:  growingOCoranges@gmail.com. 

In the future we plan to have a map which you could then add pictures and information to.  Until then, here is our very first "Squeezed Lemon Sighting":

 1233 Sudene Ave, Fullerton
Wednesday, July 11th
12-3pm
50 cents a cup

Day #2- Taking on Zion

We survived our first night of camping with three boys in one small tent.  I would be a liar if I said that it went perfectly… because “perfect” and my family DO NOT go hand in hand.  The boys talked, then fought, then cried, then screamed, then finally fell asleep.  The baby was not happy with the idea of not being in his room and in his crib and alone, far away from his fighting brothers.  But eventually, about five minutes before I almost packed up and left, they fell asleep.

The sun came up eventually and our snoring kids started to wake up, and so did their empty bellies.  So it was time for me to break out my first camping breakfast.  Since we had plans to go hiking in Zion, I thought about making a big meal. 

Camping Breakfast Rundown:

Bisquick Shake & Pour pancake mix (super easy)

Sausage (I precooked these, put them into a large Ziploc and kept cool in the ice chest. I then reheated in pan.)

Bacon (I cooked this in a pan because I wanted some grease for the eggs)

Eggs (cooked in a little bacon grease & milk)

Hashbrowns (These come dried in a small container bought at Costco, you just need to add water and let them sit for a few minutes then cook in pan.  They taste better than the frozen kind!)

Yes, that is Ketchup on my husband's eggs.  If I would have known that he ate his eggs that way I might have reconsidered my whole "I Do".  But, I love him... egg Ketchup and all.

After breakfast we packed all of the kids up and headed to Zion National Park.  Poor Brent (my #1 blog fan- HI BRENT!) and Keri, I made them stop every ten feet so I could get out and take pictures.  I was just amazed by the natural beauty (not very common in Orange County… he he he) of the rock formations.  Even my kids were engrossed by the scenery; I’m pretty sure there was no fighting for at least a good whole five minutes.

The Checkerboard Mesa in Zion

I just love the look of these rocks and red color!  Makes me want to go back.

We parked our cars in their lodge parking lot and caught the shuttle (my kids were very disappointed, when they heard it was a “shuttle” they assumed they were going to outer space) down to the trails.  I have no idea what trail we caught (I’m a bad blogger), but it was the last stop.  Thankfully it was paved and thankfully Keri brought a stroller (ours didn’t fit), so Thing #3 got to ride with shade instead of being carried on my back which alleviated a lot of sweat on my part.

After walking about 10-15 minutes, counting about 56 squirrels, stopping 10 times for water, screaming at kids about 30 times to slow down or speed up or stay on the trail, and reminding my husband that our kids were a reflection of my personality AND his even if he didn’t agree… we made it to the bottom of a small river.  The kids ran down the stairs, threw off their shoes, and decided to go crazy in the water.  By the look of the large swarm of people heading up the river (walking through it) there was something up further, but with 5 boys under 7… we decided to skip that part. 

The view during our hike

One of the MANY squirels the kids found.

Eventually we made our way back to the lodge, enjoyed some great ice cream and a packed lunch (thanks Keri) and just rested under a huge tree.  We drove through the outskirt town stores (overpriced) and then made it back to camp.  What came next?  Food (of course).

Camping Dinner

I premade some Beanies & Wienies (recipe to be posted at the end of this post), and just reheated

Corn (boiled in pan, once you get water boiling you turn off the heat and let them sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on)

Hot Dogs (everyone got to cook them over the campfire)

Cornbread (precooked and brought in Ziploc)

I'm craving a hot dog now, however, stove top cooked dogs are NOT the same.

Tasted mcuh better than how my picture makes it look.  Me = Bad Photographer

After we shoved our face with food we made our way to the pool.  The music was blasting, the water was cold, and the kids were having a great time.  It was a great start to our summer vacation and as the kids finally closed their eyes and fell asleep (after a LOT of reminding them to stop talking) we got to enjoy some good conversation, beautiful stars, and a sense of relaxation that I had been missing for so long.

Coming up next: Day #3 of our summer vacation- Bryce Canyon (A.MAY.ZING), my first polygamist spotting, and nighttime zip line fun!

I’m feeling very lonely on Facebook & Twitter.  I almost feel the need to type up some personal ad to attract possible suitors.  What do you think about this:

Young Not-middle aged (no matter what my driver’s license tells you) mother of three and wife to one, woman looking for friends on Facebook who are looking to laugh at my kids and my daily frustrations, listen to my random postings at 11pm when I can’t fall asleep and Chelsea Lately is a rerun, and my occasional cool ideas/tips/deals.  Not interested in your tips on how to lose weight for only $39.99 a month, your products on how to keep my husband’s erection to last any longer than it already does, nor your possible work-at-home jobs since I can’t even call to make a doctor’s appointment without immediately asking the receptionist to book me a walk-in appointment because my son’s head is gushing blood.

Do you think it will work?  I hope so!
 

That is my husband... that is Thing #2's hat... he threw it down the river when he got mad.  Yes, the life of a parent... it is SO much fun! 

Beanies & Wienies Recipe

½ onion
1-2 large cans (depending on how many beans you want) of Baked Beans
1 can Pinto Beans
½ bag froze Pineapple Tidbits (can find at Trader Joe’s) or 1 can of pineapple chunks (then chop)
4 tbsp. brown sugar (can add more if needed)
½- 2/3 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
1-2 TBSP yellow mustard
1-2 packages (depending on how many you prefer) your favorite hot dogs

Sauté the onion in a large saucepan until soft.  Add in remaining ingredients and cook until fully heated.  Tastes good when served immediately or refrigerate/ freeze and reheat (also very good).

Day #1 of our Family Vacation!

It was the night before our vacation when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  Well, except me and my husband who were scrambling to figure out how to pack our minivan up with all our stuff!  So what do you do when you can’t find enough room?  You buy a storage container for the roof of your car!

Yes, right before our trip my husband makes an executive decision to buy a roof rack storage thingy.  You know those things that scream “we are SO cool”.  Thankfully for him, I am a bargain shopper and found one with good reviews and a nice price tag.  Our trip was delayed a few hours (Sears opens up at 8am and we were hoping to leave at 4am) but we got the extra storage and were able to take all the kids and not leave one behind like our second option.

Here is the storage container we picked up (I bought online with a 5% off coupon and pick up at store option):

http://www.sears.com/x-cargo-sport-20-car-top-carrier/p-02872020000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

After we got on the road we drove and drove and drove.  We did a little pit stop outside of Las Vegas for gas and lunch and then kept driving.  After a few more hours we made it to Zion.  Thanks to some portable DVD players I picked up on a Black Friday deal a few years back from Walmart and some cheap headphones, the kids didn’t do too bad.  Even Thing #3 survived in his infant seat with minimal amount of entertainment. 

Welcome to Zion National Park

Our first impression of Zion was how amazing it looked.  The mountains were the coolest red color, I wanted to reach out and touch them to make sure they were real and not some odd dream.  To get to our campground we had to drive all the way through Zion which meant driving through a one mile long tunnel.  That was awesome! 

Inside the tunnel

When we arrived to our campsite it exceeded my expectations.  I had found the Ponderosa online when searching for a place to stay.  They have cabins (both large and small) and even covered wagons you can stay in.  Sadly, everything was sold out, even the dry camping.  However, after making a phone call and talking with the staff they assured us that they never turn away campers and if we show up they will find us a spot; which they did.  They actually drove around and found a spot that would be perfect for two families (we met up with our amazing friends and their kids).  

Welcome to the Ponderosa!

The kids right away were excited about all of the amenities which included 18 holes of miniature golf, two pools with slides, and even a zip line.  Mommy was excited that they had warm showers (for free) and clean bathrooms.  The cost to stay was $10.50 per night/per person and the little kids (3 and under) are free.  The costs included being able to use the pool, take showers, and use the restroom.  They also had nightly activities that were free or a very minimal price.  You could pay an additional fee to do other things like rent ATV’s, zip line, and rock climb.

The 18 hole miniture golf course

The pools

Our first evening there we set up camp (you would think that my 6 months in Girl Scouts as a small child would come in handy for this type of situation, but surprisingly it didn’t) and just sat down and enjoyed not being inside a car.  Even with the screaming of the kids, the dirt on the ground, and the idea of not having any makeup for a week… I was still excited to start our vacation!  We were an All American Family doing an American camping vacation… kind of like the Griswold’s except Grandma wasn’t on our roof (we had a roof storage bin, remember) and our kids remained the same (too bad, I was really hoping in the morning I would wake up to new ones who listened).

Tomorrow: Day 2- Visiting Zion & Camp Food

Information about the Zion Ponderosa:
http://www.zionponderosa.com/index.htm

Sun Day = Fun Day

After a week of grey clouds my boys were so excited to see the sun come out.  So what did we do?  We packed up the car and drove straight to the beach! 

Taking the kids to the beach can really become a headache instead of a fun day.  Especially when you have to pay $10 to park, drag them a mile from the parking lot to the sand, and then end setting up camp on top of a ton of rocks.  That’s not even taking into consideration the kids fighting, one trying to play in the water though he doesn’t know how to swim, one eating fist full of sands, and the other one chasing birds and not turning around even after 5 minutes of screaming at him. 

So to try and elevate some of my frustrations we went to Mother’s Beach (also known as Baby’s Beach but do NOT use that name around my boys or they will never go back to the beach… because obviously, they are not babies!)  in Dana Point Harbor.  Ever been?  If not, you must check it out. 

The reasons I love this beach:

FREE parking

The parking lot is right next to the beach
They have bathrooms right next to the beach (no need to walk 3 miles) and they are pretty clean
There is a grassy area with covered picnic benches if you don’t want to eat lunch on the sand
The sand is really nice without a ton of rocks
It’s located in a harbor so there are no waves
The swim area is buoyed off and it doesn’t get very deep right away, so the kids can play in it

The reasons that I don’t love about this beach:

It can get really crowded (not a super big secret)

Older kids don’t love it because there are no waves
 

So, here are a few pictures I snapped with my camera phone (don’t judge the quality… my husband refuses to buy me an iPhone).  If you go to the beach and check it out, come back and let us know.  If you have already been to the beach, please post your feedback and let us know why or why not you love the beach.

To the left are the bathrooms, the right is the parking lot & the middle is the covered picnic benches

Look... NO WAVES!

Look... NO ROCKS!

Driving Directions:

From 5 south, exit Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) and turn right.
Turn left on Harbor Drive (Right is Del Obispo) Just Past Carl's Jr.
Take harbor drive to the back of the harbor. Baby beach is just past the last set of Boat slips on the left. If you hit the old fishing pier or the Marine Institute parking lot, you have going too far.