MLK weekend trip to Pismo Beach

The weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we decided to take a last-minute overnight trip to Pismo Beach to escape the rain in the bay. I found a deal to stay at the Best Western on Groupon, which was good, except that I learned after I bought it that their pool and hot tub were closed for maintenance for the week. Boo! Fortunately, we were able to use the pool and hot tub at the Lighthouse Suites next door.

I stocked up on Disney movies from the library and we drove down Saturday morning, stopping in King City at the Cork & Plough for lunch. It was a nice easy drive, just over 3 hours down the 101, and Valerie napped for the first half and then watched Sleeping Beauty. I was really impressed when we drove over a hill and Pismo Beach came into view, with mountains rising to the left and the little town sweeping down to the ocean on the right. It was beautiful and shining in the sun.

dignified as always, having lunch at the Cork & Plough

Our first stop was at the Monarch Butterfly Grove, at the southern tip of Pismo Beach. We made it just in time, around 3:30, before they closed at 4. Monarch season runs from November through February and the day we were there, they counted 28,000 monarchs, most of which were high up in the tall trees. They had telescopes set up for viewing the butterflies in the treetops. Everybody was trying to get pictures of the butterflies, which was hard to do from such a distance, but I got a couple shots.

my best butterfly shot

the view through the telescope - those "leaves" are all butterflies!

 The butterflies were cool to see, and half an hour was plenty of time! We headed to the hotel to check in and take in the ocean views before the sunset, which was absolutely stunning.

view at the Best Western

downtown Pismo Beach, near the pier

Pismo Beach Pier

 We relaxed in the hotel for a bit, and then drove downtown to walk around the beach area near the pier. It was chilly enough that I needed a coat, but one of the most gloriously colorful sunset skies I've ever seen. It quickly got dark and we went for drinks at Wooly's on the beach. My drink was called something like a pink bikini and it tasted delightfully like a sweet tart. Valerie got a hot dog and ate only the bun. And then we browsed in the shops along the strip and stopped in Pismo Yogurt, one of those ubiquitous self-serve yogurt places, to share a treat. Although I'm always a chocolate lover, the fresh raspberries were the best topping we got. So yummy.

We had an 8 pm dinner reservation at Ventana Grill next to the hotel, which was the only reservation they had. We came prepared with Snow White and the Sword in the Stone for Valerie to watch on the portable DVD player while we ate our dinner, which was excellent. I devoured my vegetable enchiladas and they brought homemade tortillas with cinnamon butter instead of bread before the meal, which I thought was unique. The Packers - Cardinals game was on so Rich got up to watch that while we waited for our food.

By the time we got back to the hotel around 10 pm, we were all turning into pumpkins and crashed. I did the smartest thing I've ever done, which was bring ear plugs for sleeping. Between nighttime Valerie noises and people going to breakfast in the morning, they saved my sleep. I'm a super light sleeper and have learned I need to always bring ear plugs with me when I travel.

Sunday morning we enjoyed the hotel breakfast, which included this crazy pancake machine I've never seen before. You just push a button, and it drops two fresh pancakes onto your plate. Fancy! Valerie was in her happy place with pancakes and sausage for breakfast.

We changed into our suits and hit up the pool and hot tub next door... well, Valerie and Rich got in the pool; I dipped my feet in and quickly returned to the hot tub.

When we were good and pruney, we dried off, packed up and checked out and headed back to the pier for lunch at the Cool Cat Cafe, a 50s style diner with burgers and milkshakes. The best part was definitely the B52, a milkshake with Bailey's and Kahlua, as well as rainbows and sunshine and happiness. Valerie was getting whiny and restless and threw a tantrum over chocolate milk. She had been pretty good up til that point so we were due for some crappy behavior.

We went for one more walk along the beach and then stopped at Dinosaur Caves park to run around and play with bubbles before we started the drive back home. The sun peeked out briefly and reminded us that this really is a beautiful area. We can't wait to come back and do the beach properly in the summer!

It was a great overnight trip and fun family time. The biggest victory? No accidents the whole time! Valerie had success going on the potty all weekend and we had our first taste of potty trained traveling, with bathroom stops in restaurants and shops, exceeding all my expectations. Now I hope someday we will have a family trip with no tantrums or whining.... that will REALLY be amazing!

Owning the potty in 2016

Let's go back one month and cover our adventures in potty training.

It started back on December 9th, which I'll always remember since it was my father-in-law's 75th birthday. Valerie woke up with a dry diaper and I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty. She said yes, and she chilled out on the potty while I read her stories for a while, and then she peed on the potty. I cheered and maxed out my excitement and gave her candy, and suddenly, the connection was made. She knew she could pee on the potty for treats and we were off to the races. Well, I should say, I still put her in a diaper for school that day, since putting her in underwear based on peeing on the potty once seemed a bit hasty. But, her teachers said go for it, so we started sending her in underwear the next day.

The first week was definitely hit and miss and 2-3 pairs of pants per day at school, and then that weekend was the big Timm family get-together followed by norovirus, so we totally gave up on the potty for about a week in all that chaos.

Around Christmas, we started getting back on track, and while we were gone, Grandpa took over potty patrol with mostly good results, though he faced a few nasty accidents at the park that week. Upon our return home, though, we seemed to have made it through the woods. In our first full week home, she had just one accident, on Friday night, while we were watching a show together. (Suffice it to say, I look forward to the day we kick our couch to the curb.) Otherwise - the week was a blue ribbon victory, and I feel it is safe to say we officially have ourselves a potty trained child!!! So exciting!!! We even leave her in underwear at night and for naps since she was always waking up dry. Knock on wood - we haven't had any nighttime accidents yet!

I think being back on her usual schedule and going to school was the missing link. December was so crazy, with her only going to school one week of the month, and lots of traveling and visitors and sickness. Now that we are back in our normal routine, she is like an old potty pro. She even told me yesterday she had to pee while she was in the bathtub, and I hoisted her out of the bath to pee on the potty. #soproud #shediditallforafruitsnack

It feels so good to be home and together as a family. We had a nice first weekend of the year with Valerie, who was and still is SO, SO glad to have Mommy and Daddy back home with her. Most days she still excitedly says some variation of: "Mommy/Daddy, you came back!" "Mommy, you always come back." "I miss you." "I love you so much!"

It's the sweetest thing in the world, and really the most affection she's ever shown us, so we are eating it up with a spoon. We got to do lots of cuddling on the couch and playing together and I got all the hugs and kisses I could want. It is a wonderful change of pace from the terrible behavior and whining leading up to the holidays.

Friday night the 8th we watched planet earth (that's when the big couch accident occurred) and ordered sushi from Fuki Sushi, and walked over to pick it up. They have the BEST miso soup. I could drink it all day every day.

Saturday morning we went to Véronique, Elise and Justin's place for brunch - loaded waffles, sausage, melon and mimosas. Soooo delicious and so good to see everyone after a long holiday break! Then we did some shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center. Oh my god Becky, the sales!!! I got leggings and socks from baby Gap for lower prices than at consignment shops and Rich got some new shirts and pants. I may need to go back this week and take better advantage of all these crazy sales. Valerie did great walking all around by herself and then we came home and she took a FOUR HOUR NAP. What!?! We couldn't believe she slept so long. It was amazing. We made popcorn and  watched Wild and had some relaxing downtime.

Sunday morning was Valerie's beloved friend Kalinda's 3rd birthday party and we headed to her house for some preschool age chaos. They just got a new swing set and a weather miracle occurred: the clouds parted and the sun shined down on the party for a reprieve from the rainy and overcast winter. It was a beautiful day, maybe 55 degrees and with the sun shining, it was fantastic. Truckloads of 3-year-olds ran in circles, played in the sandbox, went down the slide, fought over the swings and tricycle, and basically had the best time ever, shrieking at the top of their lungs.

Valerie had the time of her life chasing Kalinda all around the yard, playing with her toys and trying to blow out the candle on her cupcake. She fortunately did not succeed. On our way home, she wanted to facetime with Kali. They truly are sisters at heart.

It was an exciting day, but after a four hour nap the day before, there was no nap to be had. Amazingly, she was in great spirits and a pleasure to be around all day even without one. We put together her new puzzle, played with Cinderella and the prince, read lots of books, played with her baby doll, facetimed with friends, sang Let it Go, made words with bananagram tiles, and snuggled on the couch watching Finding Nemo. Nothing beats those sweet snuggles. A wonderful winter weekend.