Life with Dylan

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  • Handmade Treasures by @Roxannima

    I’m a girl who likes pretty things. Shiny things. Unique things. A girl who loves jewelry. Everything from my hand-carved wooden ring to my diamond princess cut earrings.

    I recently discovered etsy and I think I may soon become addicted to the Pretty. Shiny. Unique. jewelry I have found. One of my newest finds arrived in the mail today and I am already wearing it … even though I’m not going anyplace tonight. I have had my eye on this necklace for about a month and finally broke down. I just had to have it for Halloween. Well, for the entire Fall season!

    Roxanne is a talented artist who makes the most beautiful and unique necklaces. They are delicate and rustic at the same time. The necklace is so light that I forget I am even wearing it.

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  • Family Halloween Traditions

    Every now and then I find myself lost in time as I look through old pictures of my son. Where did the time go and how did he get so big, so fast? Holidays are one of the best times to reminisce for me because we have some family traditions that are fun to see in pictures.

    During the month of October we visit Disneyland and pumpkin patches. And on Halloween we always take a picture of Dylan in front of the pumpkin statue at Grandma’s house. It’s fun to see how he has grown.

    We also have many family Halloween traditions that we do at home. Decorating, baking, making crafts, and of course carving a pumpkin! Be sure to read about our family traditions over at OC Moms in my recent article and leave a comment after the article sharing your family Halloween traditions!

     

  • Do Your Kids Play?

    A new school year has begun and we are finally getting back in the swing of things. Homework, packing lunches, nightly reading, and so on. And as this school year begins, I once again find myself contemplating how I can make this year better than last year.

    The emails and papers coming home from Dylan’s school about various after-school clubs and sports are well … to be honest, a little overwhelming.

    They all sound wonderful, but come with a price. Yes, the clubs and sports programs will cost me money – money that isn’t really in my budget – but the other cost is much greater in my opinion.

    The cost of my son’s childhood.

    He loves Cub Scouts and the after-school science program. He joined the science program last year and really got something out of it. I don’t mind paying for this. The program meets right after school one day a week and lasts only one hour. It ends just in time for me to pick him up after I get off work.

    So what about soccer, tennis, Spanish, keyboard, chess, art, music, and swimming? These are all excellent programs for children, but do children really need to participate in all of them? Many parents will sign their children up for multiple after-school programs. Who makes this decision?

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  • Wordless Wednesday – How Does This Make You Feel?

    These pictures use to make me smile, but now they make me sad.
    Stay tuned for the blog post explaining why my feelings have changed.

  • ENC’s Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch

    Are you looking for another way to spend some quality time with the family? Why not spend the day at the Environmental Nature Center Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch?

    Halloween is just the beginning of what I call the best time of the year … the holidays! Everyone seems to be happier and I love the fall weather. Baking, decorating, and finding that perfect pumpkin with my son are what Halloween is all about.  Well, yes … the candy too! but it’s not as fun as it use to be because now when I tell Dylan he doesn’t like a certain kind of candy he responds with YES I  DO!!
    Oh well, it lasted a few years. 🙂

    Read all about the Fall Faire & Pumpkin Patch in the article I wrote over at OCMoms.

    I will be there this Sunday … will you?

  • Blue Whale Trip with Aquarium of the Pacific aboard Harbor Breeze Cruises

    Dylan and I recently had the opportunity to join Aquarium of the Pacific on a special Blue Whale Trip with world-renowned Blue Whale expert, John Calambokidis aboard Harbor Breeze Cruises. This was not an ordinary whale watching trip. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that required me missing work and Dylan missing school.

    Anyone who knows Dylan, or reads this blog, knows how much he loves animals and learning about how to save the planet – one animal at a time.
    Me, well I’m partial to marine animals. Specifically dolphins and whales. Many people don’t know this, but many moons ago I majored in Marine Biology. Yes, this was my first choice of study … until I realized how much math and science were involved, which have never been my strong point.

    So tell me, how many people can say that they have seen a Blue Whale, the world’s largest animal, up close and in person … swimming wild and free in the ocean?

    Photo courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific, Kera Mathes

    Well, you can add two more people to whatever that number may be because Dylan and I saw not one Blue Whale, but four Blue Whales!

    The weather wasn’t looking good – it was pouring down rain! By the time we arrived the rain and slowed to a light mist and things were looking good. Nothing was going to stop us from this adventure.

  • My Little Mathematician

    Sometimes Dylan just leaves me speechless because I don’t remember being so excited about getting a “real” textbook, or about being able to bring the textbook home for homework. Seriously, sometimes I wonder where he gets it from … everyone knows Math is not my favorite subject!

    I really worry about what I’m going to do when he asks me for help with his math homework one day – and I won’t be able to explain it to him because I will have no clue as to what he is doing!

  • Wordless Wednesday – Blue Whale Sighting

    Seeing a Blue Whale for the very first time …

  • The Nature of Disneyland

    For most people, including myself, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word Disneyland is Mickey Mouse. Then we think about the rides, and the popcorn, the parades, and of course the childhood memories that have now become adult memories made with our own children.

    On a recent visit to Disneyland I sort of zoned out and looked around me.
    Not at the people, or the rides, but at the beauty that is Walt Disney… the Nature of Disneyland.

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  • Wordless Wednesday – When Disney Collides