Stinson Beach

A few weekends ago, we visited Stinson Beach in Northern California!

We were on the sand for only a few minutes...Jelly Belly and I were cold!
We can't hide the fact that we are from AZ!

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Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Zeum

Zeum: San Francisco's Children's Museum was one of the very first places we visited in the city.

We took advantage of free admission one weekend and we were lucky to get in since we arrived so late in the day.

This museum is a hands-on, multimedia arts and technology experience for kids.

Older kids can make a movie and/or music video that they can take home!

 Isabella had fun but she may enjoy it a bit more in a couple of years. 

Our favorite area was the Main Gallery targeted for kids her age.

She also enjoyed riding the The Zeum Carousel which is located in Yerba Buena Gardens.

We enjoyed the fresh air outside and the awesome playground.  Jelly Belly was brave to go down the big slides.  I have noticed such a difference in her after our move to California.  She is more willing to try new experiences and is not always glued to mama's leg!

Come back tomorrow...I will have pics of another fun place we have visited in the bay area!

Join in on the fun!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Sundays in my City: Our new church

Introducing our new church...

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Petaluma, California!

We have been in Petaluma for about 6 weeks now and are quickly adjusting.

Our Sundays will begin with the 9am mass (or 10:30am) followed by brunch at one of the many restaurants to choose from in Downtown Petaluma.

Very different than what we are used to in Arizona but we are loving every minute of it (especially the weather)!

Be sure to visit Unknonw Mami for

 And get ready to travel the world!

Things are looking up...

This week was a lot better! Let's see how long it lasts. 
I am catching myself before I over react to certain things...
No reason to sweat the small things, right?
I am giving us more time to get out of the house and I am making it a point to have quality play time each day.  I think we went over a week without me raising my voice and when I did start to get frustrated or mad, she totally feeds off me.

We are adapting to our new house and our new city and new routines.  I feel Jelly Belly is even coming out of her shell a bit. 

A few months ago, she would have never agreed to this:

She walked right up and wanted it BEFORE the ice cream!!!

I am making such an effort to meet people that today I am feeling exhausted and missing friends and family.

Isabella has been talking a lot lately and it's a bit draining at times.  That is why I can't keep up with this blog.  I am so tired by the end of the day.  I don't know how some of you blog almost every day. 

We have been spending a lot of time outdoors and visiting new places in Northern California.  We have been to Mrs. Grossman Sticker Factory, Stinson Beach, Bay Area Discovery Museum, The Marine Mammal Center and the Aquarium of the Bay.

 I hope to soon share our experiences with you!

Where is my sweet Jelly Belly?

Motherhood has not been very fun lately.
To be honest, I have felt like running away from Jelly Belly more than once this past week.

Yep, I totally jinxed myself last week.  It was too good to be true.  Good behavior, what is that?

My child is possessed!

That's how I felt this morning, that is the text message I sent to my friend.

I called my husband, not knowing what to do.  I can't even describe it.
She has been screaming at me and it is getting worse!  Mostly, when she doesn't want to do something.

She was sent to her room, shortly after I woke her, even before the Lucky Charms. This is what I heard:

I don't like you.
It's not fair.
I don't want to be in my room.

It's not what she is saying that concerns me the most but how she says it. So much anger, and I have no idea where it is coming from.

I don't know what to do. I even considered looking for a full time job today.  Are we spending too much time together? What am I doing wrong.  Lots of questions, and no answers. 
This discipline crap is hard!

She ended up taking a nap today.  I ignored her for a bit and then found her asleep on the couch. She slept for 4 hours! Somebody was tired. 

Almost midnight and she is still awake!
Please let tomorrow be a better mommy day, you know the kind of day the you have never ending patience and love and manage to stay calm and cool....
The kind of day where yelling does not exist and mommy doubts don't enter your mind.

Please let it be a better mommy day!

Charlie Brown

We are having fun exploring our new surroundings! Last week, we visited the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California

Every 4th Monday of the month, they offer children's activities in the morning. 

I am glad we took advantage of it before she started preschool.

It was a great deal....Her entrance fee was $5 and this allowed me and a friend to get in for free. 

Not bad! Regular admission is $10 per adult.

This included a story, and a few craft stations for the kids throughout the museum.

Jelly Belly didn't quite understand or appreciate everything that was on their walls but I did.

She had more fun posing with the statues and watching a Peanuts movie on our way out.

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the cafe at Snoopy's Home Ice Arena and had fun window shopping at the museum store.

We did have a "moment" when she realized that Mommy did not buy anything for her!

Wordless Wednesday at the Ranch

Late is better than never!

Happy 4th!

And happy 34th to me tomorrow!

Dog Town

Not sure why, but the past couple of days, Jelly Belly has been behaving! We may be getting over the half year hump as the big 4 approaches. Maybe all the taking toys away last week got through or I am more relaxed and going with the flow of things.

I know I just jinxed myself...and if I did, I will be sure to let you know.

She had a great first day at preschool and I enjoyed my 3.5 hours of alone time! I made myself sit down and drink my green tea while watching The View on T.V.  I can't remember the last time I did that, and I can't believe I missed President Obama on the show.

After preschool today, we did a lot of grocery shopping.  She spotted these:

and clearly remembered that "One time at Target, you didn't buy them for me because I was misbehaving."
So today she earned her prize, and a great choice it was.  I sat outside watching her play with them.  Then, she sponge painted with them, which let me catch up with one of my friends on the phone for an entire hour. I was in mommy heaven.

I will also share with you that her imagination was a bit too much for me today.  I know she is an only child but geez!  Even the hubby agrees here.  We already have "Danny" and "Penny", the imaginary friends that have stuck around for quite some time now.  They made the move with us and managed to come to California but now, Jelly Belly has pretend pets!!!!  She already has 2 real ones, so I am not sure what's going on.

She carries 'lil stuffed animals, telling me they are her puppies.  It goes a little something like this:

This is my little puppy (Pookie or was it Sara?) and she is zero months old.
Will you take care of her while I am at school? Make sure that you play with her. Isn't she so cute?

Then I was grilled on what exactly I did to take care of the thing....

How was your day while I was at school today?

I actually thought, oh how sweet, and I went on to tell her that I did some cleaning, washed the dishes and folded some clothes and called one of my friends, when she interrupted and said:

But how was Pookie? Did you rock her? Did you pet her? Did you play with her?

And, then later on she came up with Dog Town (thanks Train Town) and would not let it go!

Let's pretend that we are at Dog Town and it's like a little town for dogs.  They take dance classes there, they have their own grocery stores and the doggies there talk to their owners....

I can only go along with it for so long!

Dog Town was still going on strong when Daddy got home, so at least I was not alone.

It really is good to have a HUGE imagination? Right???

What are your little ones saying this week?

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Sonoma Sunday

Sunday was Family Fun Day!

After church and our ritual breakfast/lunch, we headed to Train Town in Sonoma for the first time.  We loved it!! Jelly Belly made me ride something called "The Scrambler" that had me laughing and screaming so hard, tears were rolling down.  It must be this aging thing because I used to love rides, now I am not so sure.

We did the whole park in less than 2 hours and rarely had to wait in line.  Isabella rode her first ferris wheel.  We will definitely be coming back.  I loved the trees and the breeze! And there was no screaming in mama's face when we left! (something we are working on)

Here are some pics.  Too bad our battery in our camera died and we had to rely on our phones.

Not too far from there, we made it to downtown Sonoma where we enjoyed chocolate tasting, art galleries, the swings at the park and of course some:

Trains, chocolate, shopping and wine tasting all in one day! I hope the rest of our week is as good as today!

Have a great week!

And wish us luck as Jelly Belly starts her 2nd year of preschool tomorrow morning...and of course, she is STILL awake complaining of leg pain!

Join in on the fun!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?