Crumbs

When life gives you chocolate crumbs, lick them up.

Sandollar

A sandollar for your thoughts......

Marine Coastal Layer

According to the weather report the sun is coming out Saturday. Yippeeee!

Looks Real

"Mom, look a deer!" says Gio as we're getting into the car behind the surf shop.

Fully expecting to see a statue of a deer I look up to see this cutie.

"Good noticing!" I say.

I'm glad someone was paying attention.

The Funniest Person I Know

"Who's the funniest person you know?" asks Gio.

"Hmmmmm, probably Daddy," I say.

"You mean I'm not the funniest person you know?" asks Gio.

"Um," I say.

Five minutes later the boys and I walk into the garage to find someone had drawn a face on my hooded surfing rinse water bottle, and positioned it so it would be the first thing we saw when we walked into the garage.

The three of us burst into laughter.

"Who drew that?" I ask.

"It wasn't us so it had to be Dad," says Vinny.

"Gio, it's going to be hard for you to be funnier than Daddy, but keep trying," I say.

Clamming It Up

Opening Day

Internet, today was the first day in months that I surfed a good powerful head high North West groundswell.

In other words, the waves were so good there's sand in my ears.  There's nothing like a good beach slap to start off the Fall season.

Here's to a solid surf year. Cheers! (Lifts glass)

Rollerdancing!

Internet, last night I gave Hubby the a break and took the boys to the roller rink.

It. Was. Fun.

And even better, Gio, got his roller dancing on in a big way. What a hoot!

Sunset

Space Shuttle Endeavor

Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Shibata Aiki Arts Thank you!

When I got to the beach today there was nowhere to park.

"It must be really good," I thought to myself.

Sadly, the surf was not good, but fortunately it was fun to paddle out and give it a try.

"Hey, I think those photographers are taking pictures of us surfing," says the BFF.

"They're probably taking pictures of birds," I say.

And I was kind of right. The photographers, one of who generously let me post his photo on the blog, were waiting for some big birds to fly by, a 747 jet with the Space Shuttle Endeavor piggybacking a ride to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Being in the water is always magical, but to get to view the Space Shuttle while surfing with my BFF's was awe inspiring and left me feeling elated for the rest of the day.

I was hoping the Huz and the boys got to see the spectacular sight themselves, since they weren't there to share it with me. Unfortunately, Hubby and Vinny were both "inside," when the shuttle flew past their school.

Luckily, Gio and his entire school went outside to see the shuttle sail past.

"What did you think of the space shuttle?" I ask.

"It was so close I thought it was going to land on me," says Gio.

Happy Birthday Gio!

Guess whose birthday it is, Internet. That's right Gio is 7 years old today. Amazing. And he's up to all his dancing antics..........

Happy birthday sweet boy! I love you. Xo

New Student

Internet, the day has finally come. Vinny has Hubby for his computer teacher. Oh em gee!!!!!! This is going to be good.

"So today, I played the chicken dance song for the kids as they came into class," says Hubby. "Vinny walks in, hears the music and says, 'I am going to get you for this!'"

Apparently, Vinny was embarrassed by the chicken dance song, all the other students, however, loved it.

Oh well, at least Vinny only has to have his Dad for a teacher for six weeks......this time around anyways. Hee hee hee.

Cutting Back

Note to self: Cut back to one half cup of coffee and day.

Coffee is fun, and practically a dessert when mixed with the proper ingredients. But I have been noticing it's making me feel anxious lately. Probably because my roommates have been more disturbing than normal.

Add to that a geriatric dog who paces constantly because she wants dinner, which I've already fed her,  but she can't remember!

And don't even get me started on my Mom. (think cuckoo bird)

So I'm going to try drinking half a cup of coffee to see if I feel more relaxed. I've already cut back from two to one cup, which helped a lot.

But I know I can do better. If that doesn't help I'm going to permanently move into the bathtub or to a deserted tropical island with perfect waves and magical surfboards.

Big Basin

I'm into collages this week, Internet.

Vinny is feeling much better today, after some Alleve, which I made him take, a night's rest in a real bed. Since Hubby is still on his backpacking trip, I had to take the boys to school.

Vinny's school starts at Seven. Forty. Five. As in 7:45 a.m.! Good thing I'll never have to take him to school again. I don't know how the Huz does it. Oh yeah, he's amazing.

To make matters more challenging, I couldn't sleep last night because I was worried about getting him to school at a half passed the butt crack of dawn, which is silly, but sadly true. Well, maybe I could not rest because Hubby was gone.....

We dropped Vinny off at the school, leaving Gio and I with an hour to spare before school, so naturally we went to the beach.............

.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Vinny went on a backpacking trip over the weekend with the Huz to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. On Saturday, they hiked approximately 12 miles. Today they hiked nearly ten miles!

There is one more day left in the backpacking trip, but after carrying a 15 pound back 22 miles in two days, Vinny is over it. I doubt I would have made it two miles with a pack that heavy.

"Mom, when you pick me up, bring snacks," texts Vinny.

I brought him snacks and then drove him straight to the the Crepe Place Restaurant.

He was so sore he hobbled from the car to the restaurant while simultaneously exclaiming, "Ow, ow, ow......."

But the bacon and egg crepe eased his pain a lot.

"This is so goooooood!" says Vinny.

I followed up the crepe with a foot massage after he showered off the caked on grime, and soaked in the tub.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"It only hurts when I move," answers Vinny.

"You're still going to school tomorrow," I inform him.

Rollerblading

For some reason I agreed to go rollerblading at the roller rink today.

"Do we really have to go?" I ask.

"Yes, we do, " says Gio.

"But it's sooooooooo nice outside," I whine. "Let's go swimming!"

"No, you promised, now let's go," says Gio.

"Fine," I say reluctantly keeping my word.

Internet, I forgot how fun skating is, even on a sunny day.

Couch Potato

 

After a looong week of school,  Gio has a date with the couch.

Luna Lovegood

She gives good love!

New Dishwasher

The new dishwasher is here,  Internet! Now if we can just figure out what to do with this finishing tablet???

"Should I cut the membrane and pour it in the dispenser?" ponders Hubby.

"Let me YouTube it," I say.

Sure enough the plastic-like coating is water soluble. But you probably already know that right?

Out With The Broken

Tomorrow life is going to get a lot easier. The new dishwasher is getting installed.

Yippeeee!

I'm really going to miss the old dishwasher. Not.

Sleeping Beauties

The kitties are fast asleep while I slave away cleaning the house. I'm thinking about coming back as my house cat in my next life.

Sharpie Permanent Markers

When life gives you fugly shoes, color them with Sharpie Permanent Markers!

Robot and Frank

Internet, Hubby and I saw Robot and Frank tonight.  It's a highly entertaining movie.

But more importantly, where can I get a robot that will cook, clean, provide loving companionship and help me become a jewelry thief?

Trader Joes Gum's The Word

Hello Shoppers, if you're thinking of trying Trader Joe's Gum's The Word gum, I have a couple of user reviews for you.

"This gum tastes just like floss," says Gio.

"Ahhhhhhh!" screams Vinny. "This gum is too strong, at first, and then it loses it's flavor really fast!"

Beautiful Day!

The Trouble With Mind Reading

When I play tennis with the kids giving them tips is second nature.

"Stop and hit the ball," I say. "Keep your wrist firm. Follow through when you hit the ball."

Apparently, my feedback is distracting.

"When you talk it messes me up," says Gio.

Okay, I can be quiet. But every time Gio or Vinny make a fault my brain chants, "stop and hit the ball (I say this one A LOT). Get in ready position."

"Even when you talk in your mind it messes me up," says Gio.

Get out of my head, kid.

Everything I Know I Learned From The Street

Hubby is always conducting pop quizzes around here.

"Gio, how many is one dozen bagels?" asks Hubby.

"Twelve bagels!" answers Gio.

"Correct!" says Hubby. "Did you learn that at school?"

"No, I learned it from the Sesame Street cup," answers Gio.

First One in the Water

Gio went boogie boarding with All of us today! That makes two days in a row, which is a new record for him! Woot!

Gio Boogie

Gio gets his boogie on!

Normally we have to bribe Gio to get him to the beach, and that rarely works.

Today, he went to the beach with our neighbors, and he went boogie boarding! We stayed home with Vinny, who spent the weekend sick on the couch :(

When Gio came home from the beach he said, "I caught some killer waves! The waves were huge! We had a surfing contest, and I won."

So if I want Gio to surf, I send him to the beach with the neighbors? Hmmmmmmmm.

Broken Dishwasher

The dishwasher has been broken for over a month.  Apparently, I'm so lazy I'd rather wash dishes by hand than shop for a new one.

Even more work than washing my own dishes is telling my roommates a zillion times a day, "wash your dishes, NOW!"

Hmmmmm, after nearly six weeks of hand jobs, this logic is beginning to make less and less sense.