Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Part 2:San Diego Zoo and More Tips

 After my last post about the San Diego Zoo, I thought of some more tips I could share! So, here are the honorable mentions:

1. Don't Forget the Sunblock
Definitely take some sunblock. Even though a lot of the areas are well shaded you will be exposed to the sun. I saw so many sun burned people by the end of the day.


2. Petting Zoo and Children's Playground
My youngest really enjoyed the petting zoo. It's pretty low key and when we were there it wasn't crowded at all. Actually, it was just Nathan and one other kid. We went in the later afternoon and I think most are in that area first thing in the morning. There is also a fun playground close to the petting zoo and the kids had a lot of fun playing there while my husband and I relaxed.





Make sure you don't miss the insect house right around the corner
from the petting zoo. It was quite interesting and disgusting at the
same time!



3. Elephants
Take some time to see the elephants! Their exhibit is quite amazing and huge. While we were there around 10:00 a.m., one of the elephants was getting a "pedicure". It was so neat to be so close to the elephant. While one of the zookeepers took care of the elephant's huge feet, the other zookeeper shared some interesting facts about their elephants.






4. Take Your Camera
There are so many fun photo-ops at the zoo and I'm not just talking about the amazing creatures. The horticulture is amazing and makes amazing backdrops for nice pictures. There are also so many fun statues......but be careful when your kids climb them because on a very sunny day the statues can get pretty hot.








We had such a wonderful time at the San Diego Zoo! Hopefully we'll make it back there again soon!


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

San Diego Zoo and 10 Helpful Tips

When Jon and I were first married we bought season passes to the San Diego Zoo. Even though we didn't live in San Diego after a couple of visits, the passes really paid for themselves. It was actually a great deal plus the Safari Park entrance was also included in the cost of the pass.

Last week we celebrated the end of the school year by heading to San Diego and visiting the zoo and Safari Park. We had a blast and we all enjoyed all the animals! Some animals the boys have never even seen before so it was a real treat for them.

One of the things I noticed is how close you can get to some animals. The San Diego Zoo does it's best to bring you as close as safely possible to many of the beautiful creatures!

I wouldn't consider myself a pro zoo goer but I've learned some things this visit and the previous visits years ago that I thought I would share.

1. Ride the Skyfari straight to the polar bears first thing.
The polar bear exhibit is our favorite! Kalluk, Tatqiq, and Chinook are usually their most playful in the morning when it's still cool. You can learn more about them here on the San Diego Zoo polar cam.  On the top of that link there are more pages where you can learn more about these beautiful polar bears.

It was so much fun watching the polar bears play around!




These are the polar bears back in 2002! 


 2. Wear comfortable shoes!
Enough said. I can't believe how many women I saw wearing heels. The zoo has a lot of hills and it is huge. I would suggest tennis shoes or comfortable walking sandals(like Tevas, Keens, or Columbia). Leave the flip-flops for the beach!

3. Take 2 days to visit the zoo.
One day is just not enough if you really want to get the full experience. Since we don't live in San Diego we wanted to enjoy as much of the zoo as possible so we thought 2 days would be enough. Even then on the second day we had to skim through some exhibits faster than I like.

4. Take a stroller.
Our boys are older now but even then, for our 5 year old I probably should have taken a small umbrella stroller. He will be 6 in a month but he is on the smaller side. I wouldn't recommend taking the Radio Flyer wagons.....they are too cumbersome plus too difficult to navigate through some of the steeper hills.

5. Take water.
Drink a lot of water, especially during the summer. We took smaller water bottles and just refilled them at the drinking fountains. My husband and I took turns carrying my big handbag so it wasn't too bad but at times I thought it would have been great to have a small stroller just to hang the bag on!

6. Take snacks.
We also took some granola bars, fruit roll-ups, crackers, etc. and stuffed them in my handbag. An hour or so before lunch the boys (including my husband) got hungry so they snacked a bit to hold them over until lunch.

7. Have a seat and relax.
There are some exhibits (the tiger, gorillas, polar bear, and several others) which have benches for you to sit and observe the animals and it's also a great time to take a rest in the shade. There are also some beautiful green areas to sit around and people watch or to just take a load off.
Jojo relaxing at the reptile house.

8. Camp Critters
Camp Critters was really a fun show. It's located in Discovery Post which is at the front of the park. The idea is that the animals are going to Summer Camp. Our family really enjoyed the show but one of the best things about it is that if you hang out after the show you can come down close to the stage and the zookeepers bring out some of the animals in order for you to meet them.
This is the opening of the show and it really took our breath away watching these macaws fly over our heads.



This cheetah is paired up with a dog! It's amazing how well they get along.



Greeting the animals after the show.




This owl was beautiful but I'm not sure what happened and the owl 
got spooked or something and tried flying away.
 



9. Brown bag it.
Whenever we go to amusement parks or the zoo we bring our own lunch to save money. One of the nice things about the zoo is that there are picnic tables right across the exit in a shaded area. We left our cooler in the car and around lunch time the boys and I went to grab a table while Jon went to get our lunch from the car.
The boys playing around in the picnic area.



10. Animal Encounters
At the entrance of the park, on your left as you come in, there is a small stage where periodically throughout the day you can have an "Animal Encounter". The times are posted and it just so happened we were standing near there right before the starting time. The boys really enjoyed this and I found it quite educational. It doesn't get super crowded, so both times that we did this we stood right in front of the center stage. It's long enough to learn about the animal featured and short enough to keep the attention of children. Plus, you get to ask questions!
New Guinea singing dog at Animal Encounters.



Ball python at Animal Encounters.



 Well, I actually have more tips so I think I'm going to have to post a part two about the zoo!




Tuesday, June 18, 2013

School Is Out!

Yay..........summer time is here! We have successfully finished school.
(picture taken first day of school)


Jojo finished 3rd grade and will be going to 4th grade in the fall! (picture taken on last day of school)


(first day of school)



Nathan graduated from Kindergarten! He will start 1st grade in the fall. (picture taken on last day of school)

Naturally, people have been asking me what our plans are for schooling the boys in the fall. So far we have decided that we will continue to homeschool but with the hope of being involved in a co-op or some sort of homeschooling group. Since our future is still not known yet, I can't really commit to any groups until I know for sure where we'll be. Another thing to be trusting God in!!!

We celebrated the end of the school year by taking a mini-vacation to San Diego.......again! I'll be posting some pics of our trip soon.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Joe's Cafe


If you were to drive along Chatsworth Street near my mom's home on a Saturday morning you will most likely see a bunch of people waiting in line to order from Joe's Cafe. Seeing all the people lined up peaked my curiosity and so I knew Jon and I had to check this place out!

Joe's Cafe is mainly known for their stuffed french toast and so that's what Jon ordered. I was in the mood for something savory so I went with their croissant sandwich. Both items were delicious! I also loved the small town feel of the cafe and how friendly everyone was. We will definitely going back but I think this time we'll try lunch!

Friday, June 7, 2013

My Niece Graduates

My niece Rachael graduated a few weeks ago! I'm so thankful we were here to be a part of the graduation ceremony. One of the hardest things about living overseas was missing out on so many milestones in the lives of my 3 nieces and nephew. Since I didn't get married until I was 26, I spent a lot of time with my nieces and nephew which made me miss them even more.
One evening we were coming home from the mall and Rachael was in the backseat. The moon was huge that night and Rachael took notice of the moon. I told her the moon was following us home and that when she got home it would be in her closet. That's the evening  I learned that whatever I told Rachael or whatever we did together she would tell it all to her mom! Like the other time we went to Disneyland together and I forced her to go on the Haunted Mansion......she was bawling. I told her not to tell her mom but what do you think she did?

Often times I got Rachael and her younger sister for the whole weekend! She did her best to help out especially when Jojo came into the picture.




But times goes by and Rachael started growing up............



and she had a new cousin to bond with (our Naynay).....



and every summer she matured more and more........


it's amazing how the years go by.......



it's also amazing how much I've missed out on.........


and in the blink of an eye she's on the threshold of adulthood!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thankful Thursday

It's time for "Thankful Thursday" again.  No matter how difficult life is or how deep the trial, one can always find so much to be thankful for.

1. I'm praising God today because of the truth of His word. Philippians 4:6 says to be anxious for nothing and to pray instead. Then in verse 7 we read that if we are faithful to do our part God will provide the peace we need. There have been some days where I can feel a wave of anxiety come over me but I then bring it to the Lord and He is faithful to provide the peace I need.

2. I'm also thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to serve in a different capacity. Since we are not too sure yet where we will be living or what church we will be attending, it's almost impossible to really plug in somewhere and serve but the Lord has provided me with an opportunity that has been a real blessing. One of my mother's friends has started a Facebook group for Christian women but it's for Spanish speaking women. There are literally women all over the world who have "liked" this page and tune in every day for the daily quote or devotion on this page. Shortly after arriving in California my mom's friend asked if I would like to share devotionals on the page. After prayer and getting Jon's input I agreed. Thankfully my mom's friend translates the devotionals because even though I speak Spanish fluently........my grammar is atrocious!

and lastly.......
3. I'm grateful for the time I've had to be with family and friends.


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Week 48 - Strawberry Spinach Salad

I've been cooking and baking so much......I just keep forgetting to post it all! My husband and Josiah love to eat salad! I wasn't too sure about this salad but it was a big thumbs up. Of course I found it on Pinterest and posted it to my salad "board" or you can go directly to the original recipe here on the "Women Living Well" blog.



                          



Tuesday, June 4, 2013

San Diego: Part 5 "Sea Life Aquarium"

Not only do our passes cover the actual Legoland Park and Legoland Water Park but we are also able to visit the aquarium. It's not the greatest aquarium I have ever been to but it's a great size for the boys to enjoy. So, after we spent some time at the Legoland Park we headed into the aquarium.

There's a nice little "tidepool" where you can touch the starfish.


There are sharks, fish, and stingrays in this big aquarium.

 

I could watch the seahorses all day long. 



Do you see that rare fish in there? 






Monday, June 3, 2013

San Diego: Part 4 "More Legoland"

On Tuesday we headed back to Legoland again to ride the rides we didn't have enough time for the previous day.


Nathan did not want a picture with the characters.....he is so silly sometimes!




Nathan enjoying another slow ride.




My little hatchlings.




This picture of Jon makes me laugh!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

San Diego: Part 3 "Carlsbad Village and Beach"

Most of Monday was spent at Legoland but for dinner we headed out to Carlsbad Village which was just 5 minutes from our hotel. I would have loved to dine at one of the cute cafes or taco stands on the strip but Nathan was determined to eat chicken nuggets! So, we had to eat at a Carl's Jr. and then went exploring.

Of course our first stop was at the beach......I just love the beach. It's my happy place!
The boys had fun collecting seashells.

 




We then went exploring and had ice cream at a local ice cream shop.

 

Isn't this a beautiful building? I told Jon that I would have no problem
if he found a job close to the beach!