Youth Outdoor Sports Fair - family fun! free for kids!

I am sure you have heard of the International Sportsmen’s Expo. It comes every year for 4 days of outdoorsy fun at Cal Expo. But did you know that they fill up 20,000 SF of it with a Youth Outdoor Sports Fair? I didn’t! Heck, 2 years ago, Ryan spent a morning showing off the Boy Scout Adventure Base 100 (he was even on TV with a very uncoordinated newscaster who tried the obstacle course). Afterwards Ryan walked around and checked out the Expo and even he didn’t know they had a youth section!

What is my point here? Well, KIDS 15 AND UNDER ARE FREE!!
That means that they can learn archery, fishing things (there is even a catch & release activity), turkey calling (VERY important if you live near me! Seriously!), and safe gun handling in the NRA airgun range. Something I like, and very Boy Scout feeling, is “Tread Lightly!” They are a national non-profit group that encourages responsible use of public lands and waterways. The kids’ Sports Fair area will have games for the kids, giveaways and raffles, ATV photo opportunities, falconry displays, “Lucy’s Pond” with a waterfall and river, and a whole lot more. Oh yes, and Radio Disney will be there!

Show times for the Youth Outdoor Sports Fair are

• Friday 3pm to 8pm (the Sportsmen’s Expo opens at 11am, but those kids have to go to school!)
• Saturday 10am to 7pm
• Sunday 10am to 5pm

I think we could easily spend an entire day just in the kids’ area. Which is good because I want to learn how to talk to those turkeys that block my path when I go to the library!

Anyway, kids are free, grown-ups are $15, and parking is $10.

BUT, I am giving away 2 pairs of tickets! All you need to do it post a comment with what you think your kids will be most excited about at the Youth Outdoor Sports Fair by 6pm 9pm January 18th -that is Wednesday night! Can you say short notice?!?!? (Sorry! I have been having technical difficulties.) I’ll do a random drawing of all entrants and let you know ASAP.

If you aren’t patient, don’t want to enter, or don’t win you can use this link to save $2 on adult tickets now! Have fun and I'll see you there!

Susan’s Super Sportsmen’s Expo Saver Link

Disclosure: I was given a set of passes to the Expo along with the ability to share the discount ticket link in exchange for posting about the Expo. But, once the boys heard about the kids’ area it didn’t matter, we were going free tickets or not!

BSA Eternal Flame Weekend - Public Invited!

I have meant to post this for the past several evenings. The problem is that you can't get ready for something AND post about it online at the same time! (Don't tell me about that whole scheduling thing......that didn't work so well for me last time) And while I have not been as involved and as busy as Jeff, I was tasked with an important job and it took up quite a bit of time.

So....better little notice than no notice, right? I have no clue what else is going on in the Sacramento area. All I know is that the Pioneer District's Eternal Flame is happening at Camp Pollock.  The event begins tonight, October 7th, with opening flags at 8:30pm and runs non-stop through 10am Sunday morning. Over 200 Boy Scouts will properly retire close to 2,000 flags!

The public IS encouraged to visit and assist with the retirement. One of the event's goals is the education of proper flag etiquette. This is not a Boy Scouts recruitment. This is a way the Scouts give back to their country and community.

Two highlights are Opening Flag at 8:30 tonight and the retiring of the cemetery flags on Sunday at 9am. Either event will make you cry. Heck, talking to people and watching the Scouts retire our country's flag is enough to make you choke up.

In addition to the flag retirement, there are other activities going on. A Naturalization Ceremony on Saturday, a monkey bridge and Scout made merry-go-round, and a movie Saturday night are just a few of them.

Camp Pollock is located at 467 Del Paso Blvd, near the conflux of Del Paso, Northgate, and 160. Look for the BSA Camp Pollock sign. Please drive carefully as the road is narrow and there are a lot of people running around!

12 of 12 July summertime break weekend edition

hello and welcome to this month's edition of 12 of 12! with inspiration from Chad, the idea is to take 12 photos of your day on the 12th of each month.

this past week was a rough one. unhealthy air, long hours at work and taking a horribly torturous notary class and exam, and the fact that J and R were gone to Scout camp left me not sleeping well. so this morning I was thankfully able to sleep in this morning......until.........

Tessa decided to bark at something and woke me up......... but hey! it WAS 3 1/2 more hours of sleep than I had been getting! and a week of exhaustion had resulted in me actually sleeping quite well finally! lol!!

but.....since R was gone I had to feed Stubbs........Princess Stubbs. I couldn't resist trying to snag a few photos. sadly I couldn't get a shot that wasn't ruined by some stuff on the side of the cage. I think it is the vitamin stuff we dust the crickets with before sacrificing them to the Gecko Goddess! lol!! (be thankful I missed the shot of her snagging her prey. has taken me almost an entire year to be able to watch her)

D fed Tessa. too bad this isn't a video so you could see her nosing out the *inferior* nuggets so she could eat her favorites......... those little golden squares. in a few minutes there are pieces strewn around the her food area and all the golden squares are gone.

I did my daily Webkinz and even helped a friend a bit. course, got myself a cheesy price for my own spin...... but she'll be happy to know I got her a Wish Token.

then I took some time to clean the fridge. oh boy oh boy what fun! lol!! it actually looks pretty organized now......and hey, I needed a food shot since I didn't show you my breakfast (that I forgot to eat! lol!) after cleaning the fridge I decided we have WAY too many pickles and mustards! there is half a shelf of pickles and a door shelf full of mustard. insane! totally insane!

after my cleaning I finished up work on a recipe swap I am doing. these were a whole lot more work than I expected them to be......but I think they came out cute!

yeah! finally J and R got home from camp. be darn thankful that this is not Smell-O-Vision because they STUNK!!! they were freakin' STINKY!!!!

so after they were showered, we headed out to Weiner Works for dinner. here D is posing at our table while we wait for our food. as you can see, the walls are covered with photos and writing, etc. you can see some of it on the side.

FOOD!!!!! these guys make the BESTEST french fries!! this is a large order.....just ONE large order! lol!! we rarely finish them....though this particular order seems a bit larger than the normal large! and you can't believe how wonderful those hot dogs are!

since I had taken the two photos here with my cell phone, R wanted to try and take one......so I got a good smoochie phone of me and dh! much better kissing him now than before his shower! lol!

the traditional odometer shot. my mileage is going back down now that I am not doing carpool in the morning. even better than before I think since I don't have my car at lunch I don't use up gas running errands. and hey, Light Rail is $4 a day......less than 1 tank of gas!

as for the temperature........ the high was only 91 degrees today. earlier this week it was over 110! so much for drama. not that I LIKE blazing hot weather, but it would have been a lot more exciting to post a photo of it being that hot instead of a boring 91! lol!!

ah shoot! I didn't even think about changing the orientation of this next photo. another one I took from my phone. and maybe now is where I should mention that our desktop is having a Zone Alarm problem and I can't get on the internet with it. so I am doing all this on the laptop.....with no photo program.

anyway........don't be too fooled by this photo. prices have been dropping the past week or so. this is the lowest I have seen....probably the lowest in all of Sacramento. I was excited to pay $4.25 a gallon earlier this week courtesy of my 10 cents off at Safeway.

Dairy Queen has Thin Mint blizzards. we had them tonight for dessert. we deserved them, right? another sideways one...... sorry!

anyway......that was my day. I think I actually had 13 photos.....but between using the camera phone and e-mailing them to myself and rigging up the camera to the laptop to try and use, I was thankful to have any!

12 of 12 - the Stanley edition!

Stanley (Flat Stanley that is) has arrived for a visit! so in honor of his visit this will be HIS 12of12! lol!! as a reminder, 12of12 is Chad Darnell's creation....... you can learn more about it (and perhaps join us next month) here.

woke up a little after 7am. did a little bit of snuggling with Tessa. she is such a good doggie!

for breakfast we had Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. Mommie B says these are her favorite. I liked them......tasted a little too much like cardboard to eat every day but they were okay.
check out Mommie B's odometer! now that she isn't working she isn't putting as many miles on her car. just over 1,000 this past month she said! at look at the temperature! it is only 9am. wonder how hot it is going to get out here?

We had to drive Big Bro B and his friend to a Scout camp this morning. because of all the bikes and stuff we borrowed a truck from the friend's mom. BRIGHT RED! HOW COOL!! I took some time to check it all out while the boys loaded the back.

dropped off Big Bro B and his friend. not really sure how they are going to get all their stuff where they need to. and it isn't like I can be of much help! lol! they told me I couldn't stay this time, but maybe next time. I sure hope so! this place looks FUN!
before heading home, we stopped by the District Pinewood Derby. these were the fastest cars in from each of the Packs from the District. my favorite is the black one with the StormTrooper driving! because I am not a Scout, they decided I should wear a Tiger Cub shirt so that everyone knew who I was! Thanks guys!
after our busy morning it was lunch time. Mommie B thought I might be a tad homesick so she made Lil Bro B and I an egg salad sandwich. YUMMY!!

you know when people talk about how hot it has gotten.....in the shade??? well here I am in the shade and it is 85 degrees! a few minutes later we went to go get gas and the car said it was 90! needless to say Mommie B got me some sunglasses so I can be cool.

the price of gas is crazy! here I thought it was expensive to send me USPS! Mommie B said that last month it was $3.44 a gallon.
when Daddy B and Big Bro B are at camp, Mommie B said one of the things she loves to do is get the seafood special from a local Chinese place. sweet & sour pineapple shrimp, crab cream cheese won tons, etc. YUM! normally she gets won ton soup with it, but she said it was too warm today. so instead she had to add on an appetizer sampler so they would deliver. look at all this food! Mommie B said that this will feed her for 2 dinners and a lunch.......even with sharing with me! lol! guess what my fortune said: "A cheerful letter or message is on its way to you." wonder if I am actually that cheerful letter or message and I got Mommie B's fortune by mistake?

the second part of Mommie B's evening routine when Daddy B and Big Bro B are gone is to watch chick flicks. I was trying to be a good house guest so I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" with her. it wasn't that bad.......not as mushy-girlie as "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" that we watched on tv afterwards. Mommie B even cried a bit at the end. blech!
after that it was bed time. I was already half asleep from that last boring movie so it was good to get tucked in bed. couldn't believe it was after 11pm! YAWN!!!!
what a busy day I had! I am really having a good time with the B family. thanks for stopping by.

12 of 12.....January 2008

aaah! a new year a new 12 of 12!!! Chad decided this year to leave out the bonus pictures. guess that will make it easier for me to scrapbook! lol!!

so to start the day off........the boys were supposed to go on a hike but it was postponed until Sunday because there weren't enough grown-ups able to go. I was supposed to donate blood but had such a headache Friday night that I finally broke down and took some medicine. I tried to do without but couldn't handle it. I still have the headache. it has come and gone all weekend.

this is my new fav game on Webkinz. the music is rather soothing and I have found that a couple of games before bedtime certainly helps me wind down.
breakfast.....though I am at home I still had my fav.....Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats! YUM!!!
D spent most of the day doing homework......either homework assigned for the weekend or homework he just didn't do during the week.
remember that hot chocolate pot that Nora mentioned in her blog?!?!? well here it is in action! it was such a dismal day that hot chocolate was perfect! I love how it goes directly into the microwave!
here is J testing out the equipment for the Scout's Pinewood Derby. he is using my laptop to run the timing equipment and thought it a good idea to check it out now. good thing because it didn't work! after a few calls to their tech support and some setting changes on the laptop they are in fine shape. except now we get a bunch of odd message when we boot up the laptop. hopefully when the derby is over we can return my laptop to its regularly scheduled programming! lol!
while D did homework and J figured out the laptop, I listened to Christmas carols and took down the Christmas decorations......atleast the ones on the tree. somehow things go much faster where there are four of us doing this and we are putting them ON the tree! but I got it done. I'll tackle the rest of the house today (Sunday)....maybe! this was the new ornament this year. I figured with our family's love of Starbucks it was perfect!
I had to go pick up R from a friend's house. this is the temperature at about 2 in the afternoon. I don't think it got any warmer!
here I am in my new glasses at dinner. since my prescription didn't change I figured I could get some funkier ones that won't match everything but I will enjoy wearing. in fact, I think I want to go back and get another pair in a dark or hot pink.
like I said in yesterday's post, we went to The Melting Pot for my birthday dinner last night. R was supposed to take a picture of the waiter MAKING the fondue but it didn't happen that way. so instead you get a photo of the actual cheese fondue pot! lol! dinner was YUMMY!!!
last week I bought R and myself the Wreck this Journal books. he is doing much better at ruining his than I am at mine. he took his last night to document his dinner. the directions say to use the book as your napkin but R said that he eats too neatly and wouldn't have anything to wipe on it! lol!! so instead he painted and stamped the paper with the different fondues.
on the way home I finally got my gas price sign. the price has been bouncing around quite a bit the past few weeks. you can see changes of 5 cents between the morning and afternoon. kinda crazy!!
so that was January 12th in a nutshell. no photos of the nap I took or the picture sorting I did....but otherwise a pretty good description of the kind of day we had.

hope yours was fun!

the grateful 12of12......

yep! it was the 12th again. funny how that day rolls around about the same time every month! this month's bonus picture is based on *grateful.* but how does one really limit being grateful to just one photo?!?!

courtesy of all those who served in the military and the merger of my employer with a company that recognizes Veteran's Day.........I was grateful to sleep in to 7:53. J wasn't so lucky and had to work. the boys didn't have school and slept in even later than me.

at a little after 8am the temperature was 48 degrees. not bad but made me grateful to be able to walk back in to the heated house! lol!!

D wasn't grateful to have to do homework. but atleast he was grateful that it was being done at home instead of in detention.

and I am grateful to be the mother of two able boys. notice I didn't say willing! lol! but they raked both lawns and R mowed them both. I guess J should be grateful for this too......without the boys this would be his job!

R actually enjoys raking leaves. I think he gets a sense of accomplishment seeing a big pile of leaves emerge from what doesn't look like much across the backyard. I am grateful that he doesn't complain (most of the time) about doing work around the house.

I taught this weekend for Cosmo Cricket and one of the things we used were their Buck Naked Ornaments. I decided they would be perfect for a project I was working on so made myself a few. and since I am using the Cosmo Cricket Be Good paper line......I sure am grateful that these match!

almost forgot to take this picture! can you believe it?!?!? 1100+ miles last month! UUUGH! looks like that is my new norm. guess I should be grateful that I have a running car and that R is smart enough to go to a special school even if it DOES take on the miles, right?!?!?

the Scouts were doing a fundraiser at a local pizza place last night (see next photo). we got there early and R found a couple playing the game Magic. course he got himself invited to sit down and join them. by the time he came home that evening he knew all about the game and wanted to play himself! he should be grateful that they were so nice and helpful!

the Scouts were really there to bus tables, deliver food, etc. R did a good job taking around pizzas and cleaning up after people. but there were atleast 2 Scouts per customer so things were slow most of the time. the nice thing was that Round Table donated 20% of the take for the evening to the Scouts. talk about something to be grateful for! gotta love companies that are really willing to do things like this.

here is my own personal Primo Supremo! lol! do I really need to say why I am grateful???

croak! gag! blech!!!!!! this is killing us.........seriously killing us! AND this is the price at Costco. the regular stations were at $3.44 a gallon. that is 19 cents per gallon of being grateful for joining Costco! lol!!

when I brought D home from our pizza (and gas fill up) we had a little friend waiting for us on the front porch. D didn't get a chance to see it because the frog had hidden himself before D got close, but I grabbed a couple photos. I asked the frog to turn around and pose, but his butt was about all I got! lol! it was a nice reminder to be grateful that our area isn't so developed that there aren't frogs to happen upon once in awhile. that frog is probably pretty grateful that I have a remote for our garage door so that Tessa didn't pounce on him the minute I opened the front door!

finishing up my project tonight I actually went so far as to play my iTunes Christmas mix and drink some egg nog. I had gotten it for our mock Christmas with Cecilie but had forgotten to bring it out. it is the *light* version and you can definately tell the difference......but after drinking 2 mug fulls I am grateful it wasn't the regular full fat version! lol!

and finally........I am darn grateful that Chad has this monthly challenge! so many things that might have slipped by.....every day generic dorky moments that are caught because one day a month I have a goal to take 12 (or 13) photos.