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

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!

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?

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)!