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Remember that anticipation while preparing for a grand family vacation at the happiest place on earth?!

Last week, I was to Disneyland with my family and we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. We prepared, we packed, and we found the microwave at the hotel! Click here to read my review/highlights from our Orange County Vacation about the happiest place on earth!

When we started our campfire tradition, we had a harder time cause it was windy but if you have good weather, have all of the supplies and are prepared, having a campfire at the beach can be so relaxing. 

Pismo State Beach allows you have to campfire but they have to be distinguished by 10PM every night. Things I always bring include: lighter, lighter fluid, 2 buckets for water to extinguish at the end (I use ocean water), tinder for quick start up (which I usually use cardboard paper around the house), a shovel to dig a hole, and enough firewood for one evening.

Steps:

• First, you dig a hole with a shovel. I've seen people try to do it with their hands and they got tired and frustrated pretty quickly. The hole should not be too deep or you won't feel the warmth of the fire, but you need a hole so the fire can hold and that embers won't be flying in your face.
• Then, you stack a few pieces of firewood like a tent. Put some lighter fluid on the firewood you laid out in that hole that you're starting with.
• Before using the match or lighter, add some tinder paper (for me I use cardboard) in between the firewood you laid out and some on the bottom. Then, light the tinder. If it's successful, you should't need to add any more lighter fluid. Just add a bit more tinder until the firewood catches the fire well. Before it gets too dark, I suggest filling your bucket(s) with water as it'll be easier to get this done ahead of time while you can still see. I live by the ocean so I get ocean water since my campfires are usually at the beach.
• Add fire wood as needed. Relax, enjoy the warmth, and great conversation. When it's time to leave, extinguish all of your fire with the bucket of water you already pre-filled. This is to keep everyone safe, especially those wandering around with children.

Due to personal reasons, for spring, we've been on an Independent Study Program for my older son through our public school district.

Signing up was easy, since all of his grades have been recorded under the same district, there were no obstacles there for us. Schools do have deadlines to fill an application by a certain date throughout the year for Independent Study Programs so make sure you don't miss any of them. We attended an orientation weeks in advance and then picked up a Chromebook that's designated by the school to complete school work. The school does not provide headphones, but here are some headphones online that you can pick from with a mic for school meetings with their teacher. This is great to have in case your family is traveling or the home has some distractions from noise.

As implied, your kid independently studies from wherever they are. You can study at night, early mornings and set your own schedule, but you should aim for 3 hours a day and make sure you complete all of the assignments. That is their rule. If the grades are not up to par, they will not let you continue the program.

Unlike homeschool, assignments and week-by-week deadlines are set according to district standards for the Independent Study Program. So, when your child is ready to return to a regular classroom setting, nothing is missed and the report cards are up to date in their database. My child still has to go to the school in person to complete all district tests that happen every few months so they do have to come in-person for those and that is mandatory. This makes sense and we're all happy with it in this household.

Now, that we're on Month 4 of Independent Study, I can see that my child is starting to miss social interactions with kids who are the same age; like when he used to sit with 20 other students in the same grade in a regular classroom setting. On Fridays, at his Independent Study school, he does get an opportunity to see kids from his Independent Study school for a few hours, but they all range from kindergarten through 8th grade. He is one of the bigger kids and although he enjoys all of the activities that he gets to participate on Fridays, he does miss a couple of older friends from his old school. However, thus far, this Independent Study Program has been great.

We're grateful for this Independent Study Program. It has helped our family tremendously as our kid was going through some things, but now my child is ready to go back to the classroom this fall. We're going to finish Independent Study for the next 5 weeks until the last day of school and then gear up for getting back to a more standard routine for the new school year.

Benefits of Independent Study for Kids

There are many pros for your kid if it is too tough for them in a traditional school setting. However, to thrive and be successful at an Independent Study Program, the child should be academically independent, great at figuring out answers to questions on their own, and responsible, with support from home; like creating a space for the child to succeed in a quiet or comfortable area.

Going from a traditional classroom for 5 years and then transitioning into an Independent Study Program, has been like a reset for my child and a good alternative way to have your child complete their district school commitments, but without the stress of bullies, distractions, and a rigid schedule. Besides for mandatory district testing schedules, weekly meetings with his teacher, PE every morning as a class on Google Meet, his school work can be completed at any time. This has been amazing!

For the Home

• Home School Sweatshirts for Moms


• Science Kits


• Calendar System
  

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Office Supplies for the Remote Worker

Most of my work is independent work where I'm just hashing out projects from my computer and communicating with my teammates via email and chat so working remotely from coffee shops requires me to continually upkeep my office supplies. Here are the supplies I usually bring with me, when I'm remotely working outside of the home:

• Noise Canceling Headphones with Microphone - I've had web meetings from a coffee shop before. My noise cancelling headset makes such a big difference and really helps keep my work life professional, as well as keep distractions to a minimum since it could get noisy in a coffee shop.
• Extension Cord - I'd also bring my extension cord in case the closest outlet from where I'm sitting at is more than a couple of feet away. Usually a 3 foot extension cord is enough to give me the right reach without the unnecessary clunkiness that a 10 foot extension cord has.
• Pretty Notebook Paper and Pens - When needed, the old fashion note taking can be a life saver. Getting a pretty notebook and pen set or themed set really sets a good mood for me when I see them at my desk.

I bought this Wool Felting Kit to make a unicorn at Dollar Tree for $1.25 and although I had never made a wool felt item before, I thought it was really fun and worth it.

From start to finish, it took about an hour and a half to complete it but it was therapeutic and relaxing to make. I really enjoyed the process and it had instructions, all the wool colors and even the needle and foam pad to make it.

I ended up even having some felting wool leftover! Be careful though, I did stab my finger by accident so I ended up having to put a band-aid on. See my video from start to finish of making this unicorn using the Crafter's Square Wool Felting Kit that I bought from Dollar Tree.

Unicorn Craft Supplies

• Craft Kits for Making a Unicorn


• Sewing Kits for Unicorn Projects

The unicorn that took me about an hour and a half to make is a beauty! It can stand on its own. I'm not sure if Dollar Tree always has this kit available but for $1.25, it's a steal, and I can't wait to find my new project there. Find other unicorn craft kit ideas.

Find "SLAM Diego" Padres merch!

On April 9, 2026, the Padres beat the Rockies with 7-3 in the 12th inning with a Walk Off Grand Slam Victory. This is rare in the history of MLB! I was there at that game in Gallagher's Square and it was a great celebration for those who stayed til the end like me! See video of energy at the end of the 12th inning.

That night, I also got a free Machado bobble head by being the first 40,000 to attend the game. They also release the New City Connect design for the Padres merchandise.

• Padres City Style Merch


• Padres Jerseys from Different Styles


• Padres Bobbleheads