raising a family just this side of Hollywood
This is the best deal in town, folks. If you are doing last-minute shopping for summer camp consider this. Half day camp at Reyes Adobe Park, MWF, all summer, only $12.50 per day. The counselors are young and full of energy, and they are trustworthy. My kids have gone to programs with the Rec Center since 2010, and we love it. They’re not even paying me to say this!
On March 23 our entire family ran/walked the Family Fun Run event at the Great Race of Agoura Hills. It was the first time we all participated because our younger son is finally old enough! Last year, it was hard to get him in the pictures because he kept hiding. This year he stayed in the frame, but refused to smile.
What finally got him to smile? Not the fact that he ran almost the whole mile (to catch up and beat another kid), or the free pancake breakfast from Great Harvest Bakery (yum!), or the free pineapple juice, or the gumball from the Tomboy Vintage booth. No, it was when he had all four of our very hard-earned medals draped around his neck.
The kid loves him some hardware!
Here are more photos from the Dole Great Race of Agoura Hills, 2013. Are you in any of them? (Shout out to my pal Charlene for snapping the “finish line” pic, and to Soybu for my cute headband via MomsLA.)
First you sign up to be an Explorer, i.e. a volunteer apprentice rescue-guy/firefighter.
Then you agree to volunteer during the Public Safety Day at your fire station, during which the curious community comes out to check out the station, marvel at how clean it is, talk to the animal control officer about how best to turn in their neighbors for letting their pit bull mix off its leash to run around the neighborhood, check out the giant area street map and locate their block on it, eat your free hot dogs, take home the free goodie bags from the local water district, climb up in the rescue trucks, spray water from the fire hose, and watch a helicopter drop a load of water on an oak tree.
I’ll bet it was a super cool reward to get to do THIS in return for all THAT.
Above: as part of this simulated rescue team, Andy Goodson, 18, uses the Jaws of Life to open the doors of a damaged vehicle. Andy is an active member of the Los Angeles County Fire Explorer Program. A crowd gathered to watch him and the team open this car like a tuna can.
It was super cool to watch, but I can imagine that it’s less fun and way more stressful when there are actual injured people inside.
Photos courtesy of his proud mom, Lisa Goodson.