On Being a Parent

Without a doubt, some of the best parts of being a parent are...

1. Kid Talk.

 "Mommy, this marker is Grandma's.  When we see her again, I'm afraid we'll have to give it to her." 

2. Homemade cards.

3. Early morning cuddles.

The end.  =)

Better than TOMS?

When Stuart and I got married, my husband wore neither jeans nor flip flops.  As in, he didn't even own either.  And we live in Southern California!  Since I am a BIG fan of a man in jeans and flip flops, I quickly remedied the problem. =)  We jumped on the Rainbow sandals wagon because they were sturdy and comfy.  When we received a tax refund this year, I figured it'd be a good time to update my husbands flip flop wear. 

While googling for deals on Rainbows, I somehow stumbled across the website for Sole Rebels.  Sole Rebels is a shoe company based in Ethiopia.  They use sustainable, fair trade materials to make their shoes and pay their employees 3 times the industry average for similar work (4 times the minimum wage requirement).  That's crazy insane, and it's only going to foster pride in the community, as well as give the workers the ability to give their children a great education and the chance to get even better jobs.  I'm quite familiar with a different "socially aware" shoe company that appears to do a lot of social good on the surface but, as the proverb would say, merely "give a man a fish" (when you buy one for yourself).  I don't intend to judge their charity model; they've given away more shoes than I have.  However, one of the biggest gifts we can give poor economies is not money or food or shoes, but the ability to thrive via themselves.  Dependence on outside aid doesn't foster growth, it just encourages further dependence.  Sole Rebels is a shoe company that doesn't give men fish, but rather teaches fishing - and pays the fisherman quite well.  Visit their website here to read more about the benefits of their business model.  

Needless to say, I ordered a pair of flip flops for both of us and my husband's instant response to putting them on was  "YOU HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT THESE."  They are the MOST comfortable flip flops he's ever tried on, and they didn't require getting wet in an effort to help conform to his feet (true story).  They are baby-bottom soft and fit quite well (they have a nifty shoe-fitting print-out on their site).  I also ordered a pair of flats, which I LOVE.

Obviously for people on a budget (like us) this is a big splurge.  But trust me - they are totally worth it!  And they come with the added satisfaction of knowing you are supporting a fantastic company.

My husband and I wearing our Sole Rebels.  :)

Disclaimer:  no, I'm not getting paid to say any of this.

Camping

This past weekend our family went camping.  I love camping.  We went quite a bit while growing up and I completely "get it" now because, while I drank coffee and talked with adults, the kids did this...

...and this...

...and they don't fight, complain that they're bored, or make messes that I need to worry about.  

The kids also had a chance to ride horses for a bit:

....and watch the daddies dig this guy out of a gopher hole and grab him with their bare hands.  

On our last camping trip, the kids found a baby rattlesnake, which required instant death.  I think the dads liked being able to play with this one for a bit.

A friend of ours also found this little guy:

and at one point, one of my kids grabbed my phone and took some pictures.  

Not exactly sure who the culprit was, but I found a clue...

I consider it a fantastic deal to sleep on the ground in exchange for no fighting and easy bedtimes,  

plus we get to make a few memories at the same time.

WIN!