Another Weekend Trip

Things have been crazy around here. Gone two weekends in a row! How can we ever keep up with that? This weekend we were only away for one night. I could not stand the thought of being away until Sunday though the hotel bed was definitely much comfier than the tent. We went to Flagstaff so I could participate in my first 5K. I have the whole ordeal detailed on my newest baby Momathlon Report (you know, if you're interested). On Saturday I ran the 5K and then we went back to the hotel to swim. We promised the children a swim so we just had to fulfill our obligation. Funny how that works. The pool was heated but still a little chilly. We did take over the hot tub at one point so we were nice and toasty. The little kids did not want to get out. We finally made them. We then packed up our stuff and headed down to Sedona for a hike. If you have never been to (or heard of) Sedona, you are missing out. It is beautiful. There are red rock formations everywhere and it's supposed to be a new age spiritual vortex or something. I can't really help you with that part. Unfortunately everyone wants to come to Sedona in the summer. It is packed. And the new -seriously annoying- roundabouts on "Highway" 179 do not help. We had to wait to park until someone left the parking lot at the trailhead and when we left there was a line of at least 8 cars waiting to get in. Add to that a really twisty road, a crying three year old and drivers with a sense of entitlement and you have a classic summer vacation memory you'll treasure forever. There were plenty of good things too:

Photo Game

Whew, just when I needed something to post about. Heidi from Hen House Diaries tagged me for a little bloggy fun.

The Rules:

1) Go to your photo files…Select the 6th photo folder

2) Select the 6th photo in that folder

3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.

4) Then challenge 5 blog friends to do the same!

Sadly the 6th picture in my 6th folder is a blog picture I used last year. Does this mean I'm a really prolific blogger or lazy picture taker? I have my husband to do that for me. And he takes so many pictures we will never get through them all. But lucky for me (and the children) he does. So here goes:



Just to make everything easier, and because I really am lazy, I've just included a link to the story of the picture:

Kate Spade Would Be So Proud (Possibly Horrified)

And I tag:

Rantings, Ravings and Musings (because I know she needs something to blog about!)

My Little Batch of Sky(because I know how many pictures she has of San Francisco)

Life According to Lizzi S (because I really like her pictures)

Every Day is a Miracle (because I love looking at pictures of green places)

Just Our Thoughts (because she always does such a good job of keeping her blog up to date)

Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

This Week

This week is all about catching up and getting stuff done. Sure the kids are being forced to watch television and play computer and actually find stuff to do (gasp) but I am accomplishing just a little. We went to Wildman Phil on Monday at the library. The kids got to see all kinds of desert animals (mostly the creepy kind, sadly not the furry kind) and they pet a tortoise, horned lizard and huge python. The kids did not seem bothered by the animals, which is good because I don't want them to be all shrieky around snakes and spiders. But I guess being cautious around 12 foot snakes is normal. They weren't at all bothered by the python but I will admit to being a little creeped out by the massive amount of snake in my face when Wildman Phil was carrying it around for the kids to touch. But all in all a good time (and free). Which we then followed by going to Krispy Kreme. Donut-ty goodness.

As for the rest of the week, I am trying to clean the explosion of stuff that is our house. I am also trying to get the laundry under control AGAIN. When will I ever learn? We are also going camping this weekend so I have lots of stuff to pack and plan. I should really get started on that. This is the campground where I would love to stay:



This is probably the campground I'll end up in:



Yes, our car. Because apparently if you want to go camping in the summer in Arizona you have to plan. And I did not. But there are like 15 campgrounds in a small geographic area so surely we can find two spots. Right? Or sleep in our car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. At least it will be cooler than here.

Days 3-5

Wednesday turned out to be an unscheduled rest day. I don't know what came over me last week but I was so exhausted. OK maybe it has something to do with doing too much but that's just the simple answer. So Wednesday was spent on the couch while the children played Wii and computer and whinged.

Thursday we went to a puppet show at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. We have been to shows there before and it's always a good time. Plus we get to go to downtown Phoenix and support local arts. And their shows and offices are in a beautiful old church. We saw Jack Rabbit and the Desert Tortoise. It was nice because it wasn't very crowded and the kids sat right in front. Kate was especially taken with the puppets. We might have to go back for Peter Pan.

I know Friday was supposed to be our day off but we ended up going to the Mesa Farmers Market. I am on a whole healthy and sustainable eating kick so we went to check it out. I wasn't sure what to expect. The few times I've been to the local farmers market I was a little disappointed by the small size and selection. Mesa's market is not huge but there was produce from two farms and a lot of small vendors giving out samples. The high point of the day was tasting raw honey from a small honey farm in Pine. I don't really like honey. That honey after taste is just gross. But this raw honey. I could not stop talking about it. I tried to use it for my coffee but it made it a little strange. I think I'll stick to sugar (am trying to stop using Splenda). After the farmers market we went to lunch at Joe's Farm Grill. If you are in the area and have never been there, just go now. If you ever visit you should check it out. The food is good and they use fresh produce. Plus, locally owned business. I'm all about the local.

We have many more adventures planned this week. Just need to find the right balance between busy and too busy. Anything to curb the whinging.

Day 2-The Zoo

We love the zoo. Even though it is far away and we never quite manage to see everything we set out to. We have been zoo members for many years and even if we only go a few times a year the membership more than pays for itself. We don't feel so bad about going and only seeing three animals. It seriously takes about an hour to get from the car, to the bathrooms, to the concession, to the tables to eat. On and on. But there's no pressure since we can come whenever. Today our mission was playing in the new splash area. I intended to leave home early but you know how that goes. We didn't set out until 11:00 and even though it wasn't as hot today it was still humid. The kids were ready to play in the water (and I was ready to sit down and have a little rest). The only traumatic event was the closure of the carousel. Kate screamed all the way out, "I wanna ride the carousel." I'm sure the man closing the ride down was just crying inside. Meanwhile I just bribed them with ice cream and that seemed to work. The zoo is really good for tiring everyone out so we may be back frequently this summer.

Day 1-Project Summer Sanity

I just finished writing a post on my other blog about all of the plans I have for this summer. Every summer I think we will do activities and home projects and live the best life ever. And rarely does that happen. But this summer... I thought at least I would have something to document on my poor, sad, neglected blog. So here goes:

Today we went to Harkins Theatres for the Summer Movie Fun movie. The movie today was Horton Hears a Who, which I happen to love. And that's the important part isn't it? Actually I knew my children would probably sit through it and they did for the most part. The summer movie series is a steal if you buy the card ($7 for 10 movies) but in the past we ended up missing more than we saw so I just pay for the movies as we go ($2 per person). We have done the movie series for at least five years and since there are so many kids movies now they almost always have good choices, though I remember the summers when Shrek was a staple. Just add $1 soda refills and shared candy (or be prepared enough to bring your own) and it turns out to be a cheap and mostly enjoyable activity.