Paxton Going to Work

We have this cute coupon book with things like, "Pick any movie at the video store tonight" coupons in it. Well, we recently gave Pax one that said "Go to work with Daddy or Mommy". Since he's been to my work a lot, we thought it'd be fun for him to go with Caleb. The plan was to meet Caleb in the park, and after a little picninc, Pax was off to work. He was so cute the morning of, as he picked out his "work clothes". He said "no" to the first 3 shirts I offered, and changed his shorts twice. Then he wanted to pack his bag. We put in a few movies, some little cars, books, and lots of snacks (he kept adding more).

Caleb said he did great. He mostly watched movies, and ate almost all his snacks (there were a LOT). He got to see the snack room and the game room, and played pool with daddy at the end of the day. I was so excited to see him when he got home, but he was chill. He said it was good, but that daddy's work was kinda boring. And he liked the snack room.

6 little munchkins

I have dear friend, Rochelle, whom I was pregnant with all three times. Our kids have been friends since the womb, and it is such a special relationship for them to have. Well, being the crazy, spontaneous, unschooling mama that she is, she drove down from Pasadena to be with us for the day.



We were already at the park with another unschooling friend when she arrived. And as soon as the kids saw each other they immediately connected, and played together non-stop. We spent over three hours at the park.



Elijah lost his first tooth at the park! He says it was because he ate some sand.



Then we came home and played some more. The girls wanted to be alone with their Polly Pockets, so the boys wrestled and played pirates while Rochelle and I talked.



We ate a delicious shmorgas- board for dinner, and then headed to the beach when Caleb got home. After playing in the waves, building sand castles and climbing the rocks, it was time for our friends to leave. It really was a wonderful day.

knee art

ALL RAW

I've recently began a raw food journey. It's a way of eating that I've heard of before, but it never appealed to me. Why have I began eating that way? Well, over the last few years I've had a growing problem with my joints. I've seen the doctor three times, and each time they say the same thing. "I don't know what you have." Thankfully the tests for rheumatoid arthritis have come back negative. But I don't fit the profile of osteo-arthritis either. Yet, my symptoms are getting worse.

I recently met a woman who has a chronic pain issue. The doctors put her on steroids as well as some other things, but she was not improving. She was encouraged to go all raw by a friend, and when she did her pain finally vanished. Her story inspired me to look up whether or not others with joint problems have been helped by this. I found that there are! So, I began.



In the raw food diet, you don't eat food that's been heated over 110 degrees. Apparently once the food is heated it looses most of it's nutritional value and all of it's enzymes. Our bodies often heal once we put mostly whole foods (with all their nutritional value intact) in them. There are a lot of testimonies out there of people who have healed through this diet. So, what do I eat? A lot of nuts, seeds, sprouted berries, avocados, coconut and fresh fruits and veggies.

It's been a week since I've started and I've already seen several positive effects. I've felt much more energetic and have been able to go off my coffee addiction. This in itself makes me very happy! I don't have the sluggish feeling I used to have during the day. And I'm no longer bloated. My joints have not seen an improvement yet. I've read that sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. I'm hoping to eat all raw and vegan for at least a month, and evaluate after that.

rolling down a grassy hill

Remember doing this as a kid? I loved doing this. But it always kinda hurt, and was a bit disappointing. Yet I did it every time I saw a big grassy hill (and was allowed to). Charis is the same. It always tempts her, and she is generally a bit disappointed. But I love watching her do it. And then there's Pax who wouldn't even walk on grass without shoes for a long time. I think he tried rolling once, and has never been tempted since. My guess is that Jonas will be a roller.

baby photographer

My little one year old loves to take pictures on my digital camera. Im thinking I should buy him a special kids' camera, because he is so into it. And he's pretty good! The best part is when you show him the picture he took, he throws his head back and laughs every time. Here is a sampling of his work...






I couldn't believe how well this last one turned out. I think I might use it for my profile picture!

Torrey Pines State Beach Park

Just a few miles down the road is this beautiful place that I'd never been to. My friend Mim suggested it for our Monday hike. I was astonished by how beautiful it was and we ended up having a hot and fun adventure.



The kids were all about the binoculars, while we were in the parking lot. But guess who got to hold them the whole time. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of how cute they were pouring over the map. They all wanted to be the map leader, and insisted they knew where we were. It was pretty funny.



There is a really cool nature center at the top of the hill. It is filled with real stuffed- animals you can pet. Charis and Jonas were really into that. They have hawks, mountain lions, rattle snakes, birds, coyotes, etc. And the lady working there was happy to talk with the kids about the animals.



Charis found a secret path that took us through a canopy of brush. It felt very adventuresome. We can't wait to go back when its a bit cooler.