Officially Parenting a 5th and 7th Grader

It's the first day of the new school year (2015-2016) and we're embarking on new territory...the world of the 5th and 7th Graders. Looking forward to what the year has in store for us!

The boys are ready to go!

My 5th Grader's teacher is new to the school but she's already introduced herself through a nice email and a newsletter posted on Schoolspeak (main form of web communication utilized by the school). She has a lot of plans for her students, and I'm looking forward to watching her help my son expand his mind. And since I have a high anxiety child in this one, I wish him continued learning in managing his work-load, all-around success as a student, and to just have a fun & happy year.

The 5th Graders will be reciting this prayer every day.

My 7th Grader's teacher is rearing to go! She also sent out a newsletter and it's clear she has goals --focusing on the children's spirituality, academics and social skills--that she's ready to achieve with her class. They read the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens as part of their required summer reading and I'm told they will be referring to it all throughout the year. I'm confident my son will learn so much from this teacher and I wish him a fabulous year of growth!

Lots of parents on the first day of school!

My comfort zone, my village, my parent friends. ♥

Dedicated to my boys! ♥

Happy School Year 2015-2016 to all students and parents everywhere! Let's make this year amazing!

Back-to-School Just Around the Corner

What the heck happened? The kids start up classes again in a few days and I feel like "last day of school" was just yesterday. The husband made a comment the other day, "Didn't we just start summer vacation? What the heck?" But reality is reality and we have to face facts. Back-to-school is just around the corner.

So, we've done enough wallying in denial and it was time to head out & do some back-to-school shopping. So we moseyed on over to our local discount department store to tackle their school supply list, 5th Grade & 7th Grade respectively.

Okay, let's get to shopping. 

The boys worked on their own lists.

They did really well--only asking for help every once in a while. I even went to the Women's section to peruse some clearance fashions. When I connected back with them, they had pretty much checked off a majority of their lists. This is getting easier and easier every year. Hooray!

Their lists have been conquered.

School supply shopping has worn me out.  And I pretty much just supervised! ☺

And we're done! Over and out!

Well, that's one major task crossed off the list. Now, I just have to get myself emotionally ready.

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And in keeping with the theme of back-to-school preparation,  here are some articles I've encountered that may be useful to some parents.

• Have This Conversation Before You Send Your Baby Back To School A great anti-bullying letter
• What to Do--and Not to Do--When Your Child Doesn't Like Her Teacher
• Why August Gives Us All the Feels Emotional calendar
• Watch a Clever Teacher Annoy The Back Row of Class To Teach All Students an Important Lesson.
• 25 Ways to Make a Difference This School Year

Meet Ron Finley

Take a moment and get acquainted with Ron Finley. He's just one of the extraordinary people that inhabit this planet. He plants sh...uh...stuff. ☺

Breaking It Down 

• Lives in South Central Los Angeles or South Los Angeles...no...South Central will do.
• South Central: Home of the drive-thru and the drive-by, with the former killing more people than the latter.
• Food is the problem and food is the solution
• Ron planted a food forest in front of his house where the land is owned by the city but the residents must maintain it.
• His group called L.A. Green Grounds started planting food. The group consists of volunteers and everything is free.
• He got a citation from The City and a warrant. 
• A petition through Change.org was circulated and garnered lots of support.
• L.A.  has plenty of space/land for food gardens.
• Grow your own food.
• Manufacture your own reality
• Gardens can become tools for education.
• Community is the soil.
• Become an ecolutionary renegade...gangsta gardeners.

Inspiration is everywhere. Use your talents to impact your community, your world, our planet.

Credit and reference article: In L.A., Now You Can Use City Land For A Free Vegetable Garden

I was not gifted with the green thumb myself, but I'm lucky enough to partake in home grown vegetables (camote leaves, tomatoes, bitter melon, eggplant and more!)  thanks to my fabulous  ecolutionary renegade Step-Dad. And he's a great cook too!

Beautiful bitter melon.

Eggplant power.

So, do what you do best. And gift the world. Thanks Ron Finley for sharing your talents with your community!

 

Shop for Eco-friendly Party Favors
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Touring the Jelly Belly Factory

August 16, 2015
I have to admit, when we planned to stop by The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA, I expected to look around, take a few pictures and then head on out. To my glad surprise, we ended up spending a few hours there and had quite a good time. There are lots of things to see and taste. And I felt very patriotic visiting and getting to know this All-American business success story.

Great photo opportunities at the entrance of the building. First the boys.

♥ And then their parents!

It's a non-edible car.

We had to take a selfie.

And then we decided to finally go inside. ☺

The Sample Bar lets you pick out 3 different flavors to try at a time. The Kiwi flavor was delicious!

The walls are filled with Jelly Belly art and history.

The 12-year-old found a Hello Kitty JB jar. It's a special inside joke with his Music Teacher.

The boys wanted a JB commemorative penny.

And then there's a Jelly Belly Factory Tour. They take in groups all day long, just stand in line. On the weekends, the factory workers have the day off, but the tour goes on.  During the tour, there are no recording devices or cameras allowed which is unfortunate because there are many photo-ops. Be prepared for a nice walking tour with a few informative and interesting videos about the company's history and the making of this famous candy. And most importantly, ready your taste buds to try out some samples!

Getting ready to stand in line for the tour.

Photobombed by the Jelly Belly guy.

This is just one of the Jelly Belly artworks featured throughout the facility. It's a Jelly Belly museum.

Everyone is required to wear these stylish hats on the tour. At least it's better than a hairnet.

And finally, it's time to say goodbye!

They boys had a good time!

Thanks for the memories Jelly Belly Factory!

And thank you Fairfield, CA for having a nice little gem in your city.

Check out some of the places we patronized with reviews on Yelp.

• Town House Inn 
• Chicken Express 
• Paul's Striper Cafe 
• Tutti Frutti 
• Adalberto's Mexican Food

This post contains affiliate links and I'll earn a small commission if you shop through them.

A Weekend of Celebrating a Special Birthday

August 15, 2015

Happy Happy Birthday Month to my beloved Husband! I can't praise him enough for being the best husband for me, an exceptional father to our two boys and an all-around fun and wonderful human being. We celebrated his day (and weekend) in Solano County and the Bay Area. He deserves all good things and I pray and wish him a long, happy & healthy life!

Oh yes, we did sneak in a Lego Store visit in the City of Pleasanton.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
This was our main stop on our NorCal vacation. Here are just some of the silliness, adventures, and unique experiences at this fabulous amusement park.

Yes, the Husby is sharing his drink. He's generous too. ☺

Fist-bumping The Dark Knight. The best legends always have a mentor. ☺

Of course the boys had to get in on it. 

Apparently, the birthday boy was in a generous mood, sharing his drink with a shark. ☺

We found a train--not exactly Hogwarts Express, but it's fun. ☺

Being one with the Walrus.

Additional Discovery Kingdom pictures...

Monsoon Falls. The guys got a good soaking!

Skyscreamer. Obviously, the guys are NOT afraid of heights.

The all wooden roller coaster Roar closed this weekend. Farewell to Roar!

Some good things must come to an end.

Goodbye Roar! Thanks for the memories! (Awww, sad-faced birthday boy.)

 Thank you Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for a memorable experience.

Towards the evening we headed to San Francisco.

A little traffic on The Golden Gate Bridge which is actually a good thing. Take a moment and enjoy this beautiful landmark!

My film-loving boys love this Bridge seeing it many many movies. 

San Francisco is famous for those hills. I feel my thighs burning just looking at it (while sitting in a car). ☺

Ghirardelli Square 
I'm about to make a bold statement so here it goes. The Ghirardelli chocolate brownie from Ghirardelli Square is the BEST brownie ever--don't just devour it, savor it. Okay, now that I got that out of the way, we couldn't be in the NorCal area and NOT stop here for our dessert fix--and what better excuse than as part of the birthday celebration. (Truthfully, we would've gone anyway, but it sounds so noble, doesn't it?)

Chocolate Brownie Sundae almost as big as my 9-year-old's head.

Gotta give the man credit for having restraint while we take this picture.

Hope The Husby feels special every day. Again, wishing him a happy happy birthday!! We love you!!

If you're inclined to do so, check out my Yelp review on Evelyn's Big Italian Pizzeria & Ristorante. Supporting local small business. ☺



 
 
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