Hide and Seek

 My favorite game to play with my kiddos is Hide-and-Seek.  When playing, I encourage different methods of "counting," so we reinforce things we've taught them.  I'll have Gabe (3) count to 10, then 20, then 30.  I'll have him recite the ABC's before he "ready-or-not's."  Sing songs, count backwards, whatever we've been working on I'll have him do before he can come find me. 

When it's his turn to hide, watching his creativity is incredible.  He's come up with some amazing hiding spots in a small house with limitations (no hiding in this room)!  

I think it also encourages trust.  Trust that I will come and find him.  And he knows I trust him to find me.  I've noticed that after playing a lot with my kids, they are better behaved.  They listen better, respect us more, and have a better overall temperament.  

 

Without flash

With Flash

While Gabe and I take turns hiding, Abby (2) tags along with whoever is seeking.  I let her do the finding.  I'll give her leading clues if she has trouble, but she's very quick.  Her ability to analyze situations improves each time we play.  

I try my best to challenge him when I'm hiding, but sometimes I can't help but have fun with it, "you can't see me!"  Gabe and Abbs weren't fooled.

Overall, it's a great way to have fun while learning!

Halloween 2013

You survived Halloween! Hope you all had a safe and fun time.

We spent most of the day hanging out at home, saving the kiddos energy for the walking later. I managed to fit in a 3.5 mile run into the morning, which of course created more room for candy!

After getting the kiddos ready, we attempted to get a photo of them looking cute and presentable. This was the best we got. 

A quick stop for dinner and then we were off! This year we tried out a new neighborhood near family, which required a bit of a drive.

This was the first year Abby was able to really take part in the trick-or-treating. Our adorable little Woody loved it! At every house people would say "Oh what a cute cowgirl!" and she would reply "Yea haw cowgirl!". Had us laughing all night.

 

Gabe had a "roar"ing good time. Ha, see what I did there? He loved being allowed to roar at everyone. 

Trent and I quickly realized that although his Pac Man costume and my jelly fish hat were awesome, this neighborhood was too dark at night for us to wear them and still be able to see the kids. 

It's ok, we still get to "treat" from the kids candy bag. You know, as a transportation and supervision fee.

This morning we enjoyed a piece of candy...or two...with our breakfast and Abby was quickly back in her favorite outfit. I'm not sure we are getting her out of this Woody costume anytime soon.

Another fun and wonderful Halloween in the books! 

Did you make a great costume this year? Share your photos with us on our Facebook page!

Happy Halloween!

October Fun - Pumpkin Patch

What is October without a trip to the pumpkin patch? Well, it would still be October but not as fun.

In that spirit we packed up into the "magic van" and went to explore a new pumpkin patch, The Big Horse Corn Maze in Temecula, CA. We are so glad we did! 

The kids were able to try their hands making butter, check out all the pumpkins, and feed corn to a bunch of plump and happy chickens.

Then it was on to the face painting booth! The kids have only had their faces painted a few times, but this was by far the best.

This pumpkin patch is technically a farm, and it boasts the largest corn maze in southern California. At over 11 acres, this thing was intense!

Before braving it, we took a tractor ride around the perimeter of the maze. The kids were in heaven, as you can see from the cuteness overload.

The corn maze was fun. For about 30 minutes. Then the kids were hungry, sweaty, and over the adventure.

The highlight of our day was when we walked by the band. Gabe stopped to watch them tune their instruments and they noticed his interest. These awesome gentlemen invited him up to sing a tune with them! You can see the full video in our earlier post. He was so excited and talked about it non stop after.

It was a great day and we will definitely be making this a new October tradition.

Do you have a special October tradition? An incredible pumpkin patch that puts all others to shame! Share it with us! Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page. We love to hear from you!

Use a Cheap Pair of Locking Pliers to Hold Your Hood Up!

Normal hood support rod's are $20+.  I got a 3 pack of locking pliers for $1 from Home Depot!  $19 in my pocket, I still have 2 extra locking pliers, and I don't have to fear for my head!

Gabe Has a Found His Calling!

This past Saturday we took the kids to the Big Horse Corn Maze & Harvest Festival in Temecula.  The BEST pumpkin patch we've been to by far!  As we were on our way to go through the corn maze (which took an hour) we passed these musicians tuning their instruments.  They invited Gabe up on stage to sing a song.  Boy's got talent!  We'll do a post with pictures soon, but until then watch and laugh.

Getting Dirty : Tips for a Mud Run

A few weeks back I wrote about my good clean bubble run. While getting clean and sudsy during a 5k was fun, life is about balance. Here is a recap and some tips from my recent dirty, rough, mud-caking Mud Run.

I had been looking at mud runs since January of last year. Most of them seemed intimidating, as at the time I had just started running and was in poor shape. Huff and puff after a mile, can't do two push ups kind of shape. 

One day I came across the Del Mar Mud Run, and before I could wuss out I handed over my money and prayed I would be able to run more than 2 miles by the time the race came around. Eight months later I ran it, survived it, LOVED it!

Honestly, other than continuing my typical work out routine (run 5-6x a week, cross train 3 days) I did no extra research into this type of run. That being said, here are my tips learned from experience.

#1 DO NOT WEAR COTTON! Cotton absorbs water. It will get heavy, and cause chafing. Instead wear gear that was specifically designed to be moisture wicking. This includes your socks. Feet can get chaffed too.

#2 Wear tight leggings. The mud sucks into every crevice, pocket, and cranie of your body and clothing. I wore tight capri running tights and drawstring pocket-less running shorts. I would have just wore the leggings, but I was worried about them becoming sheer when wet, and I was too cheap to buy a black pair before the race. Surprisingly, I was very comfortable and the extra shorts didn't hinder me.

#3 When it comes to your shirt, tight would be best. I wore a loose fitting, sleeveless performance shirt. While it dried quickly and felt comfortable while running, I think something more form fitting would have prevented rocks and dirt from getting under my shirt during the mud crawl parts. Every time I would swim through a mud bog the dirt would chafe my stomach. Owie.

#4 Wear trail shoes, or an old pair of running shoes. Please do not wear your awesome $150 shoes for a mud run. Please? Pretty please? The mud may or may not wash off, and is that really worth the risk?

#5 Practice at a play ground. I mean it. In a mud run you will rely heavily on your upper body strength to get through the obstacles. Monkey bars, rope swings, pull ups are all parts of mud runs. Playgrounds can supply ample opportunities to work on this. Now when I go to the park with my kids, they get a giggle out of mommy messing around on the monkey bars.

#6 Please don't tape your shoes. I know a lot of websites recommend you duct tape your shoes onto your feet and ankles.I saw dozens of runners with their tape falling off from the wet mud, and plenty of people standing on the side of the course so they could peel useless duct tape off.  Also, to me this seems like you are asking for an injury by restricting you natural movement.

#7 Bring a change of clothes, including shoes, towels, and a few gallons of water. The gallons of water are important if you are facing a long line at the showers after the race. Just wash yourself off with the gallons you brought along, camping style.

That's it folks! Come prepared and then all you have to think about is the fun! Mud runs - the most fun you will have paying to play in mud.