Knott's Berry Farm Fun

Last week we went to Knott's Berry Farm with my brother's family. Someone I know from my kids track and field was selling tickets for $10 each (adult or child) but they expired 12/30/11. We bought enough for all of us and went the following week.

Parking was about $16 per car but we split the cost.

I hadn't been to Knott's since 5th grade. I went on a school field trip, with my class. There was three cars of people (parents driving) and two arrived and we were waiting for the third one and were allowed to explore the 'outside the park gift shops.' Well, a while passed and I noticed the other kids with me were gone. Long story but they had ALL gone inside without me and I was locked outside the park until about 10 or 11pm, waiting for them. I do not know why I didn't call my dad, probably because the place was 1 1/2 hours away, but I walked around, from the entrance to the cars (to make sure they were there) the whole day and night. I had no money on me for food and the park's intercom system worked two areas 1- outside the park and 2- inside the park. So when I was having them try to locate my teacher and everyone else, they never heard it... and they never did a head check and noticed I was missing!

Finally, when the park was closing they call came outside to leave and saw me. I was trying not to cry and trying to

speak and started choking on my gum and I remember the teacher saying that 'this was nothing to cry about' and to quit it.

and... we all went home. I never got a refund. Not sure my parents ever knew about it. I never got an apology. It was just kind of unspoken in the classroom.

So..... almost 30 years later...I was back at Knott's again. I finally got to experience the fun of it all and (barely) remember things from the last time I'd been INSIDE there, a few years before.


Daeton won't go on any scary rides (he hates loosing his equilibrium, doesn't even like swing sets much) and Kaela went on a few with my brother or his wife that she wouldn't have been able to go on alone or with me (since I couldn't leave Daeton to stand outside of a line alone) so it was great to have extra people there.


When everyone else was in line for the Ferris Wheel Daeton and I bought a GIANT pretzel and ate some, and shared with everyone else when they caught up with us. Normal soft pretzels were $5 and this huge on was $10 and all 7 of us shared it.


We, grungly, dragged the kids to the Merry-Go-'Round, aka, carousel, and they LOVED it! Of, course.

I can't seem to get my words lined up right with the photos but the pictures of the horses coming down the street was a free ride we could go on but we never found it.

I laughed when I took a picture of the batman guy sitting on the bench. He even had bat ears on his hoodie. I need to see if I can find one of those!


The seven of us split a $27 family value pack meal at once of the places inside the park and were all full. It has tacos, burritos, rice, beans and a soda. Not bad considering how high most food items are inside the amusement parks.

Kaela bought a 'Hello Kitty' bow that was a headband. It lights up and has a button to change the frequency of the flashes *yes cute but super annoying.*


The kids did Bumper Cars and I watched. I did not want to be hit in them, since stuff like that hurts my neck (I had surgery on it a few years ago and have a titanium plate in my neck where I had a slipped disc).



Daeton wanted to do the 'shooting gallery' in the midway and, surprising, he did GREAT... I guess all the time he plays with his air-soft gun has payed off. It was an unmanned booth, we inserted $1 bill in a slot for a ton of rounds on the gun, so there were no prizes, but he sure did great.




Since it was right before Christmas the trees and buildings were all lit up. We also saw 'Snoopy on Ice' and it was cute with some EXCELLENT ice skaters.


In the 'craft section' at the end of the park we saw a man painting people's names with animals and other shapes painted inside each letter. He was amazing and the kids were mesmerized.


For myself I bought a 'your name on a grain of rice' necklace.


I had them put Daeton's name on one side and Kaela's name on the other. The capsule that it is in is glass and I don't want to break it so I hung it from my rear-view mirror in my car.




All in all, we had a great day, barely spent any money, had only one melt-down, towards the end, and I'm glad we went.

We Survived Christmas Becker Christmas House in Simi

Well, we survived Christmas. The kids say they got all they wanted and had a great Christmas.

On Christmas eve we went to The Becker House, aka the Christmas House on Sycamore. It is a normal house that during the year but at Christmas the Beckers deck it out top to bottom with Christmas decorations. Some moving or spinning and singing. We waited an extra 20 minutes for Santa to arrive and Daeton and Kaela got their picture taken with Santa.
Their website seems to be down but you can find them on Facebook by searching ' The Becker Christmas House on Sycamore.' The have been decorated their house for 47 years now. Their son posted on Facebook that his parents are getting 'up there in age' and that he will try to go to 50 years for it and then not sure if it will continue.
I got some great candid shots of the kids when opening their presents.
Can you say EXCITED?

Even some sibling love and them helping each other. Today they have been playing together on the Bop-It Extreme and loving it. Daeton received some snap together model airplanes and has built two and Kaela has been playing with her doll house (I got it from someone on Freecycle, for free) and Jenga blocks.
The crinkling noise of the wrapping paper being ripped or bundled up in a ball really freaked out the cats. Once all the presents were opened and the kids were playing with their toys the cats found places to hide and sleep.

Daeton borrowed my camera and got a picture of Pumpkin sleeping under the Christmas tree.

Field Trip= National Weather Center

My friend, Carrie, organized a field trip to the National Weather Center in Oxnard last week.
It was a small group. Daeton and Kaela, her son and her mom.
David, the meteorologist there, talked about tornado chasing (and said he'd chased 4 and seen, in person about 6-7). he talked about the weather, natural disasters, showed some slides and a few videos.

Their website is: NOAA

He took is to his desk station where he normally works. There is 4 shifts of people that work there. Most having 4-6 monitors at each desk.

We got to see the current weather conditions, the prediction for Christmas (sunny) and the kids got to ask questions.

Behind the building they have a a setting for field trips with examples of equipment they use to study the weather. I took about 20+ photos but am only posting a few.

Bridge that would show how flash-floods work.

Land & water devises, including buoys in the oceans as well as telling snow levels.

Front of building.

The whole field trip took about two hours. It was educational and informative. Was free. and the kids had fun.

Half-Homemade Apple Dumplings

Kaela and I tried to create some Country Apple Dumplings that I saw a receipe for. I'd never heard of pouring Moutain Dew soda on top of a crescent so it was interesting, to say the least, to comprehend. We didn't have Mountain Dew at home but used a knock-off brand that was in the fridge from the last time one of the kids were sick.

The recipe called for using store-bought crescent roll dough, apples, butter, sugar, cinnamon and Mountain Dew.
So, we cut and peeled the apples and sliced them small enough to roll up in the crescents.
Brushed on the butter, sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Dumped the soda on them and baked them.


There was a lot of liquid in the mixture (to bake the apples more or make them all moist?) and I was unsure of how they'd taste but the kids loved them.

My oven has been acting weird (the heat sensor is messed up) so they are a little burnt on top and a little doughy on the bottom.

They still tasted great and both kids loved them.

Country Apple Dumplings

Statistics Show... Kids In Sports Are Less Likely To Do Drugs

I'm thinking football is FINALLY over, right?  


No more going to practice 3 times a week.
No more games every Saturday.  
No more washing his practice clothes every night and hanging them to dry so the sewn-in-pads won't get messed up in the dryer.
No more having football 5-7 and kickball 7-8:30 on the same night and having tired, grumpy kids the next day.


WHEW!!!!


Anyways.. I can go on and on.


Well, after the championship game on Saturday, which Daeton's team WON, the whole team went to Topper's Pizza.  We were there for a few hours and are saying our good-byes and leaving when Daeton sees two boys from football outside by the door and they ask if he is joining baseball with them!


Daeton tells me, "Coach Thompson told us about it."

 Kaela wants to sign up for ballet or gymnastics and I told her she had to wait until football was over and track starts in February!  So, statistics show that kids in sports are less likely to do drugs.  But, can we wait a few weeks? At least? LOL! I know if we are at home too much with all down-time they were either watching tv too much or fighting.  But, taxi-mom is tired.


And, yes, yes, yes.  I am super proud.