Even though she's a girl, she modeled the duds anyway

At the risk of scaring everyone off with all our history-museum chatter (see Erica's previous museum posts, below) I want to say that we went to ye olde (not really called that) Temecula Valley History Museum, and it was just as good, maybe better than we had hoped, especially since it took us approximately 4 minutes to get there, cost me next to nothing, and was even loads of fun for the baby, who was totally entertained despite (because of?) the fact that he had no idea what was going on.

The real reason I'm bothering to post more about the TVHM is that my older daughter, a recently self-proclaimed tomboy, was all too eager to try on the boy duds, as shown in the following:

(She hoped her disguise would fool even her own father. I'm happy to report that it did not.)

And really because he has no choice, the baby was a good sport and agreed to wear some 'costumes' as well:

But most importantly for all you moms out there,

for 56 glorious minutes, all three children engaged in the same activity with nary a hint of the bickering, eye-rolling, and general unrest that seems an inextricable part of almost every outing. A success by any standards!

You'll Flip for DC Gymnastics and Tumbling

If you have kids, and I imagine you do if you've found your way to this blog or to Temecula in general, you know that skipping is better than walking, rolling is better than sitting, and that if you are gonna get on a couch, you might as flip over the back in order to get there. At least that's how it is in my house. Enter gymnastics, the sport that requires no equipment (for mom to buy, at least) and no sweating out in the hot summer sun. What you will get is a fun workout for your kids that builds muscle, endurance, and flexibility, all while providing a healthy boost to their self-esteem. There are some cities that don't have gymnastics academies. Temecula has two. After some tours and some trial classes, my girls decided to go with DC Gymnastics and Tumbling, also called Tumble Jungle. They loved the easy-going, fun, family atmosphere. They loved the openness of the gym itself. Mom loved that they didn't have to buy uniforms.

Started in 1990 by Dan and Carrie O'Neil, parents of three, the gym encourages each child to work at his or her own pace while also challenging them with hard work and discipline. And don't forget FUN! My girls always have so much fun at their classes, and the fact that Dan and Carrie have kids of their own is very apparent. They are always there, always pleasant, and when an instructor is out, Dan is quick to jump in and teach the class himself (my younger daughter had him for a couple of weeks. He is a hoot!). In addition to all the fun-ness though, this is also a serious gym. Once inside, you'll find:

4 sets of bars
40' tumble track
40 x 40 spring floor
60' rod floor
2 overhead spotting rigs
2- trampolines
foam pit
2- Zip lines
4- Trapezes
2-pommel horses
3 mushrooms
3 sets of rings
2 sets paralell bars
Jungle Island w/ a secret tunnel
Preschool gym with equipment ment for younger children

To a mom, that means you're not just paying for a glorified day at the park. To the kids, that means being at gymnastics is waaaaaay cooler than being at home. And don't forget Parent's Night Out twice a month and Play Gym once a week- alone time for mom and dad should never be underestimated ;-)


This summer, they held a totally optional but totally fun Summer Olympics Show. We didn't have to buy matching uniforms or come to evening rehearsals or hold a bake sale to raise funds. We just put on something that was red white and blue ( I bought their leotards on Ebay. Sweet!) and showed up for a good time. After a few hours of classic Americana music, totally adorable floor-routines, and some pretty impressive demonstrations by the performance team, all the kids were called up individually to receive their medals.


From the-little-gymnast-that-already-is to the-gymnast-who-wishes-she-could-be, there's something for everyone at Tumble Jungle...


....especially if that something is a really good time.

DC Gymnastics and Tumbling
Tumble Jungle
41735 Winchester Rd. Suite D
Temecula, CA 92590
Phone: (951) 296-0064
Fax: (951) 296-0066
info@tumblejungle.com

How Living in Temecula Saves You Money : Part 2

WinCo Foods

Temecula is the land of a lot of things- wine, low humidity, beautiful views, wine (what? I like wine...), but what you'll also find is that it's the land of choices. Now I know it's hard to get excited about a post glorifying a grocery store, but when you're a mom on a budget, or just a girl who'd rather spend her hard earned cash on Juicy Couture than Juicy Juice, and the grocery store is where you're going to spend a big chunk of change, it's nice to know that you have some choices, and that one of them will save you oodles of dinero. If you want, go to Albertsons or Vons or Stater Brothers or Ralphs or Costco or Trader Joe's or Henry's....Temecula's got 'em all. But if you want amazing bargains every day, a fantastic selection of ethnic foods, and a vibe that says no-blowout-or-stilletos-required, all without needing membership, then hop on over to WinCo foods on the northwest corner of Margarita and Winchester.

Some of what you find will be your standard fare, albeit at crazy low prices, but you'll also find a super-duper bulk foods area, in-house deli meats and cheeses, a bakery, and a pizzaria. You'll also want to stock up on the boring-but-necessary things like toilet paper and goldfish crackers, because you'll find them there in ginormous packages, all at a bargain. My last trip set me back $105.64, but that included: wine, cat food, produce, pasta, breads, two gallons of milk, meats, dairy, an extra large pizza from the pizzaria, spices, baking ingredients....enough food to feed a family of 5 plus a cat for an entire week! I must warn you- there is no full-service going on here. If you want to knock 100 bucks off your monthly grocery bill, you're gonna have to work that ol' elbow. As in, bag your own groceries. Take them to your car yourself. Load them up yourself. Oh, and no credit cards! Debit is fine, and checks are a-okay, but your Delta Airlines Platinum Mastercard? Leave it home, darlin'. We're savin' money today!

WinCo Foods #56

40435 Winchester Rd.

Temecula, CA 92591

Wine Tasting Should be Called Wine Chugging

Temecula Valley is the wine country of Southern California. Southern California is one of the few areas outside of the real Mediterrenean to enjoy a Mediterrenean climate. The amount of rainfall we get could land us into the 'desert' category, but precipitation does not a climate make. The fact that almost all of the rainfall is in the very temperate winter makes the winter our growing season- something that makes this a region ideal for grape-growing and wine-making. Which in turn makes it ideal for fantastically fun wine-tasting tours that are both affordable and safe! Some of the wineries also boast hotels, spas, meeting areas, restaurants....all perfect for a weekend getaway that's not too far away. I'll be focusing on wine-tasting tours here, but for more destination info and gorgeous pics of other peoples' weddings, check out two of my favorites: Ponte Winery and South Coast Winery Resort and Spa

For our fantastically fun wine-tasting tour, we took The Grapeline-The Wine Country Shuttle which picked us up and dropped us off at the Embassy Suites on Rancho California Rd.

If we had thought harder about it, or had this fantastic blog to read when we were planning the excursion, we would have booked a room at the hotel for the evening after the wine tasting. Why do such a thing if you live right around the corner? Well, because "wine tasting" should really be called "wine chugging", and when you are done with your trip you will be in absolutely no condition whatsoever to be operating a motorized vehicle.

The shuttle was a great choice- all our tastings were included with our tickets....

plus a delicious picnic lunch (actually eaten at tables in an adorable gazeebo) at Wilson Creek Winery, home of the famous almond champagne,

not to mention we had a designated driver/tourguide who knew to take us to the Longshadow Ranch Winery for the live band that was playing that day.
Incidentally, our insurance guy, a native Temeculan, says he loves to go to this winery with his wife and daughter because it's so laid back and fun, and the kids love the horses.

There are about 30 other wineries in Temecula that I didn't mention in this post. Read some reviews, ogle some pics, and make a plan to come visit me in beautiful Temecula Valley Wine Country. You won't be disappointed!

Paradise Found

This unplanned blog has come to be due to my current obsession with looking at real-estate combined with my decidedly blockheaded opinion of maps- that opinion being that I don't need one. Fortunately for my children, this accidental adventure turned out to be a good one- one that we will go on again, for sure. You see, usually in the world of suburban living one must make choices. You can choose to live in a convenient location or you can choose to live in a beautiful location. You can have a huge-gantical lot OR you can be right around the corner from Ann Taylor Loft. You can't have both....or can you? In addition to my all my other flaws, I am definitely interested in having my cake and also eating it. I mean, who doesn't like cake? So for all you cake lovers out there, I present Via Norte, Temecula, CA a windy, hilly street with gorgeous views:
And beautiful homes with enormous yards you can really do something in. And by "something" I mean, like, ride horses. And by "enormous" I mean minimum half an acre....for the po' folk of that neighborhood:



On this street (and and any of its little, tiny side streets/driveways) you will find all sorts of houses: traditional, spanish style, adobe, ranch, colonial, a house that looks like it moved here from Plano, TX, a glorified lean-to....the list goes on and on. What you will not find is congestion or zero lot lines. And most importantly for this modified city girl, you can be at Trader Joe's in 8 minutes flat. BOOYAH!

Claim Jumper is Better than you Remember

As a server, it's hard to get excited about a mom with kids sitting at one of your tables. I know. I was a server. It's not that servers don't like kids or don't want some of their own, or dislike their moms or moms in general. No, the problem is that too many moms get really picky, order crazy things that aren't on the menu, complain about a lot of things, let their kids behave like hooligans, leave a gigantic mess in/on/around their table and then....they don't tip. I know. I was a server. Obviously I'm not one of those moms, but if you were a server and I walked in with my three kids and no hubby to be seen, you wouldn't know that, and you'd probably be prepared for the worst. If Rose, the sweet, capable, efficient server that we had on Monday at Claim Jumper, was prepared for the worst, I couldn't tell. All I saw was smiles and competence. And really good eye make-up.

Here's Rose

A little backstory as to why we were livin' like high rollers and going to Claim Jumper on a random Monday afternoon: the library!!! Yep, last week's certificate-for-reading was a free kid's plate from Claim Jumper. I took the kiddos on a weekday for lunch so we would avoid any potential wait. There is usually a wait at that restaurant, and now I know why. First of all, the view:

Here is the view from our table (the Temecula Duck Pond!)

And the decor is also a lot of fun for kids (and heck, I guess grown-ups too ;) ). My girls especially loved all the different light fixtures above the booths. Here's the one we got:

Then things got really good, because they put down a special little plastic table cover just for the baby and Rose asked if we would like the complimentary baby plate. True story! Of course, being thrifty and having a baby, I said "Sure!". It wasn't fancy or overly beautiful, but it was totally, exactly what babies like to eat. I mean, except for the parsley of course, which I did away with speedy-quick. And, um, did I mention it was freeeeeeeee? Here it is:

The girls chose the baby back ribs (I know, I know, high rollers....) and each got to choose two sides. That meant steak fries, apple slices with caramel dipping sauce, macaroni and cheese and shoestring fries with lots of salt and pepper. They also have yummy drink choices for kids, including strawberry lemonade- sounds delicious to me! Oh, and the drink lids stay on very, very well. I know. I dropped one on the floor. Not a drop was spilled! As for me, I got the "smallest" thing on the lunch menu, and it was still ENORMOUS. No one's going hungry if you go there, I can promise you that.

Now, I know you don't have to live in Temecula to go to Claim Jumper, but no other Claim Jumper overlooks the Temecula Duck Pond and has Rose available to provide efficient, genuine service. Oh, and let's not forget the free kid's meals courtesy of The Temecula Public Library. Yet another fine summer day made possible by the fact that we live in this great town. You know, I really do heart Temecula.

The Slide Looks Like This

I have nothing to add to Erica's fab post (below) about the City of Temecula Aquatics program, but I do want to toss out this photo of the ginormous slide in all its glory. Just another reason that you'll heart Temecula, too!

How Living in Temecula Saves You Money: Part 1

The Cosmetology Institute- A Paul Mitchell Partner School



It was really Erica who turned me on to this- kudos to her for doing it first and taking the risk of having a student cut her hair. What she, and subsequently I, was thankful to discover is that although they take FOREVER to cut your hair, they are meticulous, polite, pleasant, and most importantly to the title of this blog: cheap. And by "cheap" I mean really cheap. And by "really cheap" I mean super, duper totally cheap. As in (drumroll).......$10!!!!! Yep, as in one, single, crisp $10 bill. Of course, one should always leave a tip- the children are trying to put themselves through school here people!

my easy, chic, $10 haircut from the Paul Mitchell school

When I was there, there were folks from Murrieta, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Fallbrook....and of course, Temecula. Those of us lucky enough to live here didn't spend $10 on gas just trying to save money on a cheap haircut, and so for that I've got to say: living in Temecula saves you money!

For your own smoking deal on a cute cut:

The Cosmetology Institute - A Paul Mitchell Partner School

27536 Ynez Road, Suite E-1

Temecula, CA 92591

phone: (951) 694-4323

So Many Parks, So Little Time

No town can claim to be truly family friendly without an excellent selection of grafitti-free, well-manicured, properly maintained public parks. Temecula can most certainly make the claim, then- with over 30 fabulous public parks spanning hundreds (yes, plural) of acres, there's always a place for your brood to blow off some steam. In fact, I keep a picnic blanket, jump roaps and hula-hoops in my van at all times just in case they start acting like fools while we're out running errands. There's always a park just around the corner, waiting to show them a good time. Just click on the title of this post to be taken to a list and a map. Happy park hopping!

Pauba Ridge Park, 33405 Pauba Rd.

I like this park's layout- only one small entrance in and out, and a large fenced area to play. This means you don't have to stare at them the whole time to know they're safe. Plus, the view is gorgeous , the breeze is fab, the path is a perfect place to ride bikes, and the hill is great for rolling down. Located just east of Butterfield Stage Rd.

Temecula Duck Pond, 28250 Rancho California Rd.

I know, you'd never know what this is by looking at the name, but believe it or not, it's a pond....full of ducks ;-). It seems that kids never tire of feeding animals (at least the ones that aren't their pets)....my oldest is 7 and still enjoys tossing stale cheerios to the not-underfed ducks who are lucky enough to live here. Even though it's located at the intersection of two very busy streets, one can still manage to find a little peaceful-haven experience here. And did I mention that kids love to feed the ducks? Well, they do.

Ronald Reagan Sports Park, 42659 Margarita Rd.

This place is enormous. Boasting two sets of play equipment (the one for smaller kids is, mercifully, shaded from the sun), barbecues, picninc shelters, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, an amphitheater, well kept (relatively) public restrooms, a path that's perfect for stroller strolling and dog walking, a creek with fun wooden bridges for kids to cross....well, it's about as big as a 'small neighborhood park' can be. This is also the site of a bunch of community events, kids sports, and pick-up games of you-name-it. Convenient and beautiful.

My question to you: What's your favorite park in Temecula?

Name That Lizard

Quick! What's that on the screen?

What are the dogs barking at in the rosebushes?

What's leaping off the rock at the Santa Rosa Plateau?

















And for God's sake, what's running through the living room?














(OK, that last photo was not taken by me and not taken in my living room. It was taken (and is copyrighted to) Gary Nafis, who runs the fun, informative website http://www.californiaherps.com/.)

But that last lizard--a Skilton's skink--was my first real intro to herpetological life in Temecula.

It was January 2007, and we had just moved here from cold, snowy, and lizard-free CT. So the long wiggly snake-like thing with a bright blue posterior half running through my living room caught me, shall we say, off guard. It darted across the living room and under the couch. When I went to investigate (at that point I had no idea what it was, though "snake" was the top contender), it ran back across the room toward the patio door. But when I went to open the door to let it out, it veered away from me and scuttled under the desk.

Needless to say, I was perplexed.

So just when I had decided to simply leave the door open and walk away (remember the winter of 2007? It was cold. For Temecula.), it shot past me and found freedom by running *under the closed door*. Note to self: Replace weather-stripping.

A frantic Google search led me to californiaherps.com, and I've turned to them ever since each time I find a new reptile in the backyard. The site is well-organized by type (snake, lizard, turtle, frog, salamander) and has loads of details and photos, which makes it a great site for kids. What a lovely lizard, Johnny, go look it up on californiaherps.com.

The kids think this sort of sleuthing is high forensic drama.

They helped me identify the foot-long San Diego Alligator Lizard in the rosebushes above. The little guy on the screen (sagebrush lizard?) was much less imposing at maybe 3 inches tip-to-tail. And I'm particularly proud of the mid-air shot of the sagebrush lizard (again, a guess, they're fast) because it was taken my 7 YO daughter.

Calherps is also great for snake ID--I was able to identify the California Kingsnake in my neighbor's backyard (and then convince her not to kill it by pointing out that it's a rattlesnake predator) and the California striped racer I saw on a jog.

Check http://www.californiaherps.com/ out next time you find a desert reptile in your backyard. You just may learn something.

Aglow in the Park (or The Sun Doesn't Set Until, like, 8:30)

Like I said earlier, you would be hard pressed to find enough free time in your life to take advantage of all the summertime fun the City of Temecula offers. But how do you know what's worth your time, and what's just gonna make your kids crabby? Well, wait for me to do it first, of course! The other Friday evening, we decided to load everyone up and troop (it's actually just around the corner) to the Ronald Reagan Sports park for the 2nd annual Aglow in the Park, during which they (who? I don't really know...) light up several hot air baloons and the kids run around and say "ooooooh! look! mom! can I go in one? oooooh!". That part was super awesome.



In addition, they had a live band playing beforehand- a Beach Boys cover band that was super good and oh-so fun. Because, like, apparently the sun doesn't set until 8:30 pm, something I had not thought of, but which turned out okay. This part of the event was also really fun for the kids. They loved running in the grass with the music playing, doing cartwheels, getting ketchup all over themselves, insisting that they absolutely did not need to go potty, and engaging in general merriment. Oh, and don't forget the scavenger hunt and the dance-off! Had I known this part was going to be so fun, I would have gotten there earlier.



On to the Next-Year-We're-Gonna-Skip-its:

• The movie they show in tandem with the glowing balloons. The screen is not big enough, the sound is all distorted, and did I mention that the sun doesn't go down until, like, 8:30? That's late in my world. And who really wants to watch "Surf's Up" anyway? I mean....for realz, people.
• Buying the "cheap" food at the event so I don't have to make dinner. If by 'cheap' you mean in quality, then yes. If you mean price, then not so much. We ended up spending $34 (I know! WTF?!?!?) on hot dogs and coke. Next year, we'll pick up a pizza on the way there like half the other experienced folk did.

In conclusion: Get there early, bring your own food, dance and play, then high-tail it out of there the second they start cranking up that movie screen.

White Lime : actually sweeter

I really don't love feeling like I'm jumping on the next-cool-thing (hah! I said 'cool'!) bandwagon, but I've got to give credit where credit is due: White Lime (self serve) Frozen Yogurt rocks my socks. My kids were given certificates for one free cup each (see previous post) for their mastery of the english language, so we went even though we probably never would have. Kudos to whomever decided to give out those coupons, because now we're hooked.



When I first walked in, I couldn't help but feel like I was in some coffee bar/convenience store in Europe, the real kind that they don't show in movies, because they had techno-style club music playing at 11 a.m. for no good reason. Uh oh. And the decor...these weird egg chairs and psuedo-futuristic circular tables. Double uh oh. But then, joy of joys, the coupons were easy to redeem, and the flavors (only, like, 10- just right to avoid confusing the young folk) were yummy, and the toppings were excellent, and the chocolate syrup was real, and the price (if we were paying, which we weren't!)....well, only $0.39 per ounce. It's brilliant really: serve yourself as much as you want of whatever you want with as many toppings as you want, then they weigh your tub-o-yumminess and you pay only $0.39 per ounce. Perfect (except, can you turn down the music a smidge?).

For your own serving of deliciousness:

White Lime Frozen Yogurt
41493 Margarita Rd #106-B
Temecula, CA 92591
(951) 719-1422

Reading + Writing = Free Stuff

This is my first summer as a.....wait, first let's establish what we're gonna call me because I'm really not a Stay At Home mom. In fact, I spend very little time at home, especially during the school year. And if I am home, I'm not really "staying" very much. So, I'm gonna call me a Run Around Town mom- RAT for short. Alright, let's start over.

This is my first summer as a RAT and my first full summer living in Temecula. It's hard to even decide what to talk about first, because there aren't enough days in a week to do all the free stuff you could do around here- so I'll start with my favorite childhood haunt: The Library.

From the kids section with the ginormous purple tandem rocking chairs, to the outdoor reading courtyard (complete with fountain!), it really is a great place to foster an early love of reading. They also have neat self checkout stations that kids, naturally, are obsessed with. I think they'd check out other people's books if I'd let them. And, um, hello! You only have to read one (?!?) book a week in order to get the free-summer-coupons-for-kid-food-that-mom-refuses-to-spend-money-on. So far, my kids have scored Chick-fil-a, White Lime Frozen Yogurt (more on that later. Yum!), Rubios, and (unfortunately) Hometown Buffet certificates. Hooray for reading! Hooray for free stuff! Hooray for cheap entertainment and kids not climbing the walls (at least not my walls)!