I am a lover of LIVE performances. I do a lot to pass that love on to my boys. Jacob was a pirate captain for his drama performance and a cockroach for his end of year BugZ play. This love also involves being in the audience! We had tickets to see a community theater performance of  'Annie', on an outdoor stage with the gorgeous Red Rock Canyon as a backdrop. It was a 'warm and fuzzy' moment, seeing my sons singing along and dancing to the same songs I enjoyed as a kid. Charlie may have a very limited vocabulary but 'Tomorrow' was heard loud and clear!

Jacob and his bud Aurora

 Next on our list was a visit to the circus! This is a first for all three of my boys! Something this BIG was meant to be shared and we included the grandparents. Barnum and Bailey Circus host a pre show event for the kids (grown-ups kids too!). From the animals outside to the arena floor, we were able to meet and greet all the performers and even try out some of the acts!

The two oldest elephants were 56 and 57! Wow!

Jake was excited to walk the tightrope!

A happy Snuggle with grandpa and some popcorn!

Fun to see it through his eyes and hear his 'oohs and ahhs'

The tightrope act

Tigers!

I was lucky  enough to grow up seeing the circus every year. I loved the horses the best, and second were the elephants. This was a neat family night for us and something I know we will doing again soon!

I was a Daisy and then a Brownie. I went to a few summer camps, a couple of p.j. sleepovers, all cabin or indoor camping. Shot a few arrows, made a few lanyards, and even memorized the standard camp songs. Fast forward to.... I married an Eagle Scout. My first born is now in Cub Scouts. They do SERIOUS camping. Outdoors. On cots. In tents that shake in the breeze. Bugs, dirt, and BB guns. School ended on a Thursday, and Friday morning we head for the hills. Cedar Glen, California to be exact. Camp Pollack was the destination for Pack 383, Den 12! We dropped off our little cub (aka Charlie) in Big Bear with the grandparents and were looking forward to some special one on one time with Jacob and the great outdoors.

We set up camp, snuggled on camp chairs, and then ran around like wild Indians! Or kung fu masters come to find out. The boys disappeared into battle behind the trees and down by a creek, leaving the parents to...enjoy nature? It was a beautiful campsite and we were surrounded by scout families, trees, and some of the coolest camping gear I cannot wait to get my hands on! A weekend of rock wall climbing, ice cream making, BB gun shooting, handicraft making, arrow shooting, dutch oven cooking, that we will NEVER forget!












If more of this is in my future, BRING it! This former girl scout is ready to rough it!

Month 1 of diapers...

The end of my rope. That is where I am with cloth diapers. Yes, did you miss that somewhere along the way? I have committed to cloth diapering Charlie for the last 23 months. And guess what? I am done. No more. The deed is done. I sent the husband to Costco yesterday and he committed us to a zillion diapers and wipes. I have the very last load of cloth diapers in the wash as I type....*sigh* Did you know that I was washing a stinky load every 2 days?! Every two days for the last 23 months....exceptions would include vacation weekends when we splurged on a pack of disposables....still! That is a lot of diaper laundry! Rinsing, Washing, Drying, Stuffing, Folding.....I AM DONE! Sure, I realize he will be potty trained by the end of the summer (*fingers crossed*) but I really have given all I can give to the cause. I promise to recycle harder, and shower shorter, and even try composting again (this time without the worms). I am sorry to the landfill, sorry to Mother Earth, but not sorry I am done. I read an article that estimated approx. $3000 savings by going cloth. I am adjusting that figure to $2500. I am OK with that! That is 2 yrs of preschool tuition! 2 years of delicious produce from our CSA farm! OR even a Caribbean cruise!! Well, obviously the last isn't happening....but still! I am making the right choice! I will have convinced myself but the end of this post....you see where this is going? Why I haven't made the switch so far? Why I needed to make the husband go and do it?! No take backs, the box has been opened.....