JT and Mom run the hill

JT has advanced at AGA! Every six months, the kids are tested on certain skills and depending on which ones they've learned and how many they are able to complete, they can move up a bracket. It's a building block system so they cannot start leaning new skills without having mastered the prerequisites. We're proud of him, he's now a green star! A few weeks ago, it was Ms. Lorena's last day at the gym. My kids LOVE her! Like LOVE. She was HeaBug's first coach when she was an 18 month old mini-tumbler... at the mommy and me level.

JT has been running with me. We decided to tackle Signal Hill together while HeaBug was at gymnastics (about 3 miles), and he did so great. While up top, we had fun with my camera. The shot just below has to be one of my most all time favorite pictures. I just happened to be at the right angle and the sky was magical with the threat of rain and the promise of sunshine all in one afternoon!

We sure do love this little man. He is silly and intense and adventurous and bright and thoughtful and still surprises us. We see so much of ourselves in him. The good and the bad (and a little of the crazy hahaha). It makes us so happy that he enjoys being active and fit and healthy. We are so thankful to be his parents for sure.

We SO Voted: Election Time at BoothOhanaRoots

We are lovers of our country, living an American dream, raising our children in a blessed country of freedom.

Heck yes we vote!

Mr. and Mrs. B do not always see eye to eye on every measure or proposition or candidate. We stress to our children not the importance of WHO you vote for but more that you exercise your RIGHT TO VOTE.

This year, when changing my voter address, I re-registered as part of the American Independent Party.

We encourage everyone to vote. We take our children with us to vote.

We spent the evening of Election Night watching CNN. We had to put them to bed before it was called. When we checked on them during the night, JT woke up and asked who won the election. I love that they felt so intensely involved and connected to this process.

We hope to raise children that will think with an open mind, respect the choices of others, and to be grateful that we have the freedom to vote the way we choose.

REGISTER TO VOTE HERE!

For Family Photos with Mia Reed... The Booth Ohana will travel!

For almost 8 years, we lived across the street from the Reeds. We've watched our families grow and enjoyed being not only neighbors but friends. In the last 6 months, we've both left Jaymills Street. Us for another part of Long Beach and the Reeds to the Central Coast. Mia's creative eye is amazing. She's always happily indulged in our hair brained family shoot ideas. We were excited when we decided to head up to San Luis Obisbo County to visit our friends in there new home and to visit Bradsberry Farms LLC.

It was a three and a half hour ride, thankfully the kids slept much of the ride up. They're good travelers, but we knew it would be a lot to expect them to behave in the car and behave while having their photos taken. Fortunately, they know and love Mia so they enjoyed romping around this awesome farm. It would be amazing to live in a place where you feel completely surrounded by nature, hills, plains, animals... And to have the ocean 15 minutes away, if that. And an In & Out 20 minutes away.

Love Mia!

We had a great time and got a little preview of the magic that Mia captured. Can't wait to see rest of them.

Trick or Treat, Halloween for the B's

Our first Halloween activity was the Trunk or Treat at the school. Last year we did this cramazing maze. ( BTW, Cramazing is my word mash of Crazy+Amazing. ) We did not have the man power to pull it off this year though. Bummer but for once it was nice to show up to an event that I did not assist in planning, help set up, organize, volunteer for or run. We just went, had a nice time and went to sushi after.

Costumes... HeaBug is Merida from Brave.










 JT is Westley from the Princess Bride.

 

Mr and Mrs B as Mary Poppins and Bert. We got a lot of wonderful comments on our costumes. A quick shout out to Breezer who sculpted Westley's fencing foil handle and created the awesome burn wound on his shoulder from liquid latex. She also customized Mary's hat, tie and Bert's chimney sweep broom!

It would not have bee successful without her!

 Trunk or Treat Fun!

The kids loved getting to see their pals and going round and round and round stockpiling the candy.

The lovely and talented CAKESTINA had a Creepy Cakery set up. It was fabulous. Lots of ghoulicious treats! It looked so awesome and professional that people kept getting in line to purchase items! Even though they were just for decoration. Unless you happen to be tight pals with Cakestina herself. Wink Wink.

The next night, we went to a Trunk or Treat at our church. It was awesome and we had a great time. The same night, Breezer and Joanna went to the Long Beach Zombie walk. That's her, with the liquid latex.

We got to carving our pumpkin while sipping sparkling pumpkin/apple cider and eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

 HeaBug's preschool had a trunk or treat the morning of Halloween. It was so cute to see the little ones in their costumes.

We went trick or treating that night. Breezer and Joanna stayed at the house to pass out candy to the mountains of trick or treaters that we were expecting. They didn't come. We hardly got any. I guess there are fall backs to living on a nice, quiet and out of the way street. Not many passers by. She looked awesome with her Dia De Los Muertos makeup though!

(We donned moustaches for trick or treat and by the end of the night, Merida needed Daddy to hold her and wear her wig... because her feet hurt and she was sweaty)

 Kids had a blast trick or treating, we have more candy than we know what to do with....

If you find yourself in the same predicament, consider shipping some candy to our troops. 

Here's the address:

Operation Shoebox

8360 E Highway 25

Belleview, FL 34420

The cost of lunch, for the 2nd Grader

If you ask HeaBug or JT about the FIVE RULES, they'll list them for you.
1. Don't Lie
2. Don't Cheat
3. Don't Steal
4. Listen
5. Be Respectful

I figure everything falls under one of those rules. Mr. B and I do our very best to parent intentionally. It doesn't mean we've got it all figured out but we do try hard to address everything... The good, the bad, the average. JT and HeaBug have a constant flow of feedback. Our family talks, a lot.

There are constant life lessons woven in to daily happenings for the Booth Ohana. Think before you speak, speak when you have something important to say, save and spend wisely, don't waste, pick up after yourself and sometimes that means picking up after others too.
Mr. B has recently taken over making the lunches. He's super consistent and pack the way he enjoys eating. Fresh, quick, easy, healthy. Seriously, our family could survive for days on nosh and crudités.
We tell the kids their bodies are like cars and you have to put the good gas in the good cars. They participate in serious physical activity so we teach them that they need serious and good fuel.
All that said and done...
JT has not been finishing his lunch. Although he's been "implying" everyday that he has. I told him how much it hurts us that he is wasting our time and money but also that he's wasting food.
I had a humble upbringing and while I don't want my kids to have to experience that, it has given me authentic appreciation for ALL of my blessings.
We've also been working on money lessons with JT. Earning, saving, donating, spending. He is a saver saver saver and doesn't like spending his own money. Who does?
Hurt feelings aside, we told JT that until he learns to eat his lunch, at lunch, he will need to pay for his own lunch. If he can manage to do it for a week, I will go back to providing him lunch, free of charge.
Yesterday he gave me $0.90 for his 1/2 sandwich, carrots and cheese-its. Today it was $0.85. He questioned why it got cheaper and I said I gave him less food. I offered a treat/dessert. He said yes, I told him it would be $0.10 extra. He agreed, gave me a dollar and I gave him change.
Rushing out of the car this morning, he wanted to know if I got his lunch off of the counter. I said No. Because it was not my responsibility. My frustrated son, walks... backward... ACROSS the street (!) not paying attention and narrowly avoid a car that was backing up... (Thank you Mom Sprint Ability).
He is upset because in general, I won't bring lunch or homework or other things that are forgotten  because I need to get to work and I spend a good 10 minutes before leaving asking over and over and over if you are prepared and have everything you need for the day.
If you forget it suffer the natural consequence, chances that you'll forget it again are slim.
Last minute I realized that he might not have money in his cafeteria account. So I did grab it from home and bring it back, leaving it in the office.

I did put this note in his bag though:

Every thing we do with and for our children is because we love them and want to raise them to be responsible, aware, empathetic, smart, kind, safe, independent,

 passionate, courageous, wise, contributing adults. 

Some lessons are hard to learn. I know that as a grown up. 

Sometimes, I still have to learn the hard way.