Newport Beach

We were so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel out to Newport Beach this year for Memorial Day. We had family with a Beach house for the weekend which made it really nice.

In the mornings we got up and walked the beach looking for sea Shells. There were Dolphins and even A Sea Lion later in the Morning. Jaiden didn't want to get up so he didn't end up walking with us at all but Shellsea for sure was up and ready to go. She needed this time with just us and with her daddy.


We did all the normal "Beach" stuff I guess. We played in the sand, walked on the peir and played in the water. Well the water part, not so much. It was still really cold. Dean and the kids got wet but me just my feet. I don't do well in cold water. I'm a true born Arizonian. I don't like to be cold. The high temp for the day was only like 68*.

Birthday Cupcakes

These are the Cupcakes that I made for my son's class at school on his 9th Birthday. He also had his last Baseball game on his Birthday so I made a bunch to take to his Baseball Team. A total of 50 or so. I used the George and Basic Shapes for the 9's, (which are 2 sided by the way). Then used the Sweet Treats Cartridge for the Cupcake holders. I think they were a hit.

Sea World

I was so blessed to be able to accompany my daughter on her 5th grade field trip a couple weeks ago to Sea World. I haven't been there since I went in 5th grade. Each of the Chaperons were assigned students and then they were able to go and do whatever they wanted to do. I was chaperon over my daughter and a girl in her class named Serina.

I would have to say besides Shamu, my favorite exhibit was the Sharks. It was creepy and cool all at once. I surely wouldn't want to run into one of these monsters. If you've never been there or maybe haven't been there in a long time let me tell you how it is. You walk in and there are all these little sharks in water next to you. Not a big deal. But then you walk into a tunnel made of glass, well a clear material of some kind and there are big sharks swimming around everywhere. While it is neat to see them in there habitat it is creepy to think that if the glass broke, we are all goner's.


Shellsea's favorite part was strangly the stingrays. Ewwww, they are so slimy but she loved them. She spent probably a good 10 minutes just petting the slimy things.


This is the only picture I was able to get of Shellsea and I together. But how fitting it was in front of the stingray wall...lol! It was alot of fun and I can't wait to take our whole family and spend at least a day. There was so much more that we did and saw but these were a couple of the highlights

YBBL

This is Jaiden's 2nd year playing YBBL. He is a natural ball player. But coming from a long line of baseball players it's no surprise. This year he is the oldest on his team and in my opinion one of the best. This is an educated opinion by the way not a bias one because I'm his mom. He always gets on base. He hasn't struck out once. He really does a great job all around. This year we were really lucky that Dean could coach Jaiden's team. With Deans baseball experience, patience and all around love of the game it was a perfect match.
The kids in this level are ages 6-8yrs old. They don't use a pitcher but a pitching machine and they don't publicly take score. It's basically to teach the kids the fundamentals of the game and how to be a team. This season Jaiden started out playing 1st base where he did good for the most part. The usual ball that should've been caught, but good. The team needed a catcher and there are only a few kids that could really qualify for that position. They would need to be able to catch somewhat good and be able to throw oh and fit into the catchers gear. Yes, a couple of the boys are super tiny.


Jaiden asked to try the catching position and he liked it. Although he did get a bat thrown upside his head, he was fine that is what the gear is for. He likes the other positions too. Dean rotates the 3 boys that can do catcher. They take turns playing 1st, short stop and catcher. The season is almost over it ends the end of May. Stay tuned for Team and individual pictures.

Oratorical Contest

Shellsea was asked to participate in the city oratoricl contest. There were 5 students around Yuma who participated in the contest. Each student was to write a 4-5 minute speach on Cyber Communications. Shell wrote her speech and would practice it with us. I didn't really love the speech. I wanted to go in and change so many things. But this is her speech. It was coming from a 5th grader it needed to sound like it was coming from a 5th grader. She did a great job presenting the speech. She had most of it memorized. She wrote the speech on index cards which she used for refrence. In the end though she ended up 3rd. The 1st and 2nd place winners in my opinion had speeches that I'm pretty sure were strongly parental influenced. That and they read it right off of a piece of paper. I guess we alway think our kid is the best. I'm so proud Shell she did a great job and it really doesn't matter what place she comes in.

Probably not invented yet.

My Son has a 52" Big Screen TV in his room. It is one that his dad got from a customer who didn't want it anymore. The color is off but other than that it works great. Well it's so big it just really makes his room cluttered. He does not need that TV in his room. So I was telling him today that we have to take it out but I will give him my old 19" flat screen from my scrapbook studio. He looks at me and says, "But mom that TV is so small." I replied, "Jaiden I never had a TV in my room growing up so you better be thankful to have a TV at all." Then you know what his response to that was? "Probably because they weren't invented yet." Really? Wow! It's amazing how kids really think we are soooo old.

Bedroom Makeover

My daughters bedroom was completly out of control. She just had way too much stuff in there with no place to put anything. The last time we did her room she wanted it pink. Well now she absolutly hates pink. Her daybed was broken so we had to take it out. She was sleeping on the trundle bed that was under her daybed. She didn't pop it up because she was affraid it was going to fall. I know I can go in and clean her room but that doesn't teach her anything. That and I hardly have time for all things I do allready. So I thought that if she had a room that she loved she would be a little more motivated to clean her room.

All her furniture matched and was white. She has an older "big" tv you know the non flat screen kind. The TV is in a white cabinet which was just another place to pile up more stuff. It had to go.





Shellsea she changes her taste like every month or so so we had to come up with a room idea that is somewhat neutral. So when she changes her mind or her favorite color we don't have to do a complet makeover. We talked about getting her a bunk bed that has the bed on top and the futton on the bottom. She loves to sit and read. So we thought that this would give her seating apart from her sleeping area. But she is growing up and a bunk bed just seemed childish and we are really trying to find a room that will grow up with her.
I love to do projects and I love to do them for the least amount of money. I know it would be easier just go buy all new. But I love the challenge. So I thought She has the mattresses so she needs a bed frame. So it's 50% off day at the local Goodwill. I ran in there one night right before they were about to close. I couldn't believe it. I found a twin headboard and footboard for $12.99 and it was 1/2 price so I only paid like $7. It didn't come with the metal frame but I remembered my mom a while ago asked me if I needed a set. So I called her up to see if she still had them. Yes, she did, but they had been sitting outback and were really rusty. A little rust didn't stop me. I scrubbed them down and after several days of chemicals and scrubbing they were ready to be painted.



So we went with a "brazilian tan" color of paint. Her favorite color today is purple so I thought we can do her Headboard in purple and do purple bedding. That way when she decides she really don't like purple we can change her bedding. The furniture went from White to Black and her white closet doors also went to black. I spray painted EVERYTHING. The desk, night stand, dresser and closet doors. We took out the cabinet that had the TV in it and put a small 19 in flat screen on her dresser.





As I said earlier she loves to read. She has this big beautiful wood doll house that she has outgrown but we love it so instead of using it for dolls we used it as a bookcase. It was in her closet. This didn't give enough room for her clothes and that was adding to the clutter. So we took it out of her room a got her a bookcase to house all her books and karate trophies.

Now that we have everything cleaned up we need to put stuff on the walls. We are in the process of cutting vinyl phrases. That will have to be on another posting.

So In total with paint, headboard, bedding and bookcase I spent about $150.