Jelly Belly Factory

For most of July, I have had what seemed like PMS, but turns out I had KHAS which is, "Kids Home All Summer" disfunction. Apparently, PMS and KHAS have the same symptoms. Previous summers, I have planned out the weeks making sure we did something each day like going to the park, library, bike rides etc. It was exhausting, but my kids loved it.

It was my solution for CJ, who constantly needed someone to do anything with (Ben says that's ADD for you!). The only thing she seemed to do on her own was watch TV or play the computer. When I would try to get her to read a book, she would cry and give me the hardest time. It was a battle.

This year, CJ has been awesome occupying her time. I find her reading on her own, all the time. When she is bored, she trys to think of something to do. Since she has been so awesome, I have become more lazy. And since I have become more lazy, the kids fight all day. And since the kids fight all day, I am grumpy and unpleasant.

I am such a "all or nothing" person. I either do it all or I don't do it at all. I've decided one field trip a week will be great for the kids and not too overwhelming for me. Heck, if they are going to fight all day, why not do it in a fun place? Maybe I can get people to stare at me and wonder "What kind of Mom let's her kids cry in public?" It can be my own little secret game.

Really, the kids are somewhat better when we do something. Our field trip this week was visiting the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. They give free tours of the facility and yummy samples along the way. I forgot to bring my camera (uggh!) and so I found some pictures online.

We got to wear these awesome hats throughout the tour. Xander had a jacket and hood on during the tour and was so funny because he wore his hat on top of his hood. Man, I wish I would have remembered my camera!

At the end of the tour, they give everyone a small bag of jelly bellys. That, of course, was the best part of the tour for the kids! Down in the store, you could buy belly flops, which were jelly bellys that were the wrong size, disformed, or connected to another. I thought that was cool.

So little field trips may cure my KHAS disfunction, but what would really do the trick is if we lived in a subdivision with a ton of kids. I would love that!

Next week, we'll be going to the zoo and the week after, it's Disneyland! This summer is flying by so fast. I can't believe it's almost August! The kids start school August 25th. It feels like the school year starts earlier each year!