Hello, friends and happy Monday!

It’s been a few months since I last checked in and I can’t believe we are a week away from September already.  So, before we start a new month, I figured today was a good time to catch you up on all the things happening around here including what we did over our summer break.  That said, grab your favorite drink and get cozy because this is a long post.  

Here we go! 

Monthly Highlights

June

Day Date at MDW

It had been ages since the hubs and I had the chance to go out on our own.  You know, just the two of us.  So, after we dropped our son off at school for summer school, we took advantage and made our way to Lodi.  Naturally, we ended up at Michael David.  It’s such a cute little winery with tons of different things to see and space to walk around in.  In fact, the last time we visited we sat outside in one of their reserved bistro seatings.  This time around, we enjoyed hanging out by their tasting room and visiting their on-site café for lunch.    

Speaking of which, I don’t drink often but I decided to try their lavender-blueberry mimosa for our special day out.  It was nice, refreshing, and not sweet at all.  As for our main entrées, I had the Dave’s Favorite hamburger with a side of potato salad while the hubs had their tacos.  Both were delicious and we enjoyed every bite! #moreplease

But, apart from our yummy lunch, one other highlight for me was discovering these sunflowers in their garden.  I’ve only seen and read about these amazing beauties online.  Now that I’ve seen it in person, I am intrigued with them even more.  

Great Wolf Lodge Water Park

A couple of my mom friends and I decided to splurge and treat our littles to a trip at the Great Wolf Lodge water park in Manteca.  If you’ve visited before, then you know that there’s no shortage of things to do when spending your day here.  But for us, we chose to spend our day at their water park and rented an outdoor cabana.  We had our own fridge, and other amenities like a fan, TV, lockbox, and tons of space to spread out, sit, and relax.  But more importantly, we didn’t have to worry about finding an area to put our stuff down and the kiddos always knew where to go in case they needed a break from all the fun or wanted a snack.  

Speaking of which, the service was exceptional, and they were extra accommodating.  If you’d like to know if renting a cabana is worth it, let me know in the comments and I can share my thoughts all about them in another blog post. 

As for the rest of our trip, everyone had a good time.  The kiddos were so busy playing, running around, and basking in the water that there’s no doubt they had blast! 

Martial Arts – Blue Belt

It’s official.  The little guy leveled up to a blue belt! 

Library Train Building Contest

Our local library had a summer train building contest so, of course, we had to join! Made of cardboard, scrapbooking paper, black paint, and skewer sticks, say hello to The Book Express! 

Inside Out 2 Movie

A summer vacation is no vacation without a trip to the movie theatre.  My little bestie and I saw Inside Out 2 and it was really good.  I thought it depicted Riley’s transition to entering adolescence well and who knew “boredom” is called ennui in French? #didyou

July

Summer Trip to Southern California

This summer, we went on a road trip to Southern California.  We were in Temecula for a day before heading to Carlsbad.  While there, the weather was an absolute dream only topping in the mid-70s.  It was such a treat for someone like me who isn’t quite a summer fan! But, apart from the weather, we spent time exploring, relaxing, and eating – exactly how a vacation should be.  As per usual, I’ll share a recap of all the details in a later post.  So, stay tuned! #workingonit

Big Boy (4014) Train

If you are a train enthusiast, then you know that the world’s largest steam locomotive, the Big Boy (4014) train, went on a westward tour this year after being restored.  It was on display for two days in Roseville, CA and we went to go see it. 

Bonus: they had a rotary snowplow train on display as well. #wow

Afterwards, we went to the Pacific Café Restaurant for lunch and it’s such a cute little spot that is train themed.  Inside, there’s a miniature train that goes around the top of the restaurant from one room to another as well as a wooden train table full of little trains to play with in the back. There is also a rope by the front door when pulled makes that classic train whistle sound which made my train loving boy oh so happy.  He wanted to keep pulling it, but I am glad it was a little high for him to reach! And if that wasn’t enough, the hostess gave him a little goodie bag that had a train conductor hat, whistle, and couple of sweet treats.  #itsthelittlethings

As for the food, we all thought it was pretty good.  I enjoyed a plate of their eggs benedict, while my two companions ordered a turkey sandwich and a hamburger.  I’d love to try their breakfast burrito next time around! 

The Tech Museum

While visiting my parents in July, my dad invited us to go to the Tech Museum and there’s so much to see and do.  We spent 4+ hours playing, exploring, and tinkering – and only taking a break to fuel up.  

After that, guess who we saw? Yep, Ringmaster Buster, their resident robot for his Magical Midway in New Venture Hall for classic games and adventures.   

We ended our day with an IMAX movie – Cities of the Future.

Kura Sushi

If you are looking for an entertaining way to eat sushi, then look no further than Kura Sushi Revolving Bar in San Jose.  My brother took us there for lunch recently and it made for a fun family outing. The dining experience is unique, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Essentially, the sushi plates go by via a conveyor belt, and you grab what you want to eat.  Better yet, drink delivery was done via a robot! 

As for the rolls, the portion is small, but given the variety, it’s a great way to try different ones.  My favorite was the scallop! #yumyum If you love sushi and want a unique way to dine, then this place is worth a try!

Library Train Building Contest – Winner

Let’s give a round of applause to The Book Express and its creator! 

His train placed as one of the top three winners and was awarded a champion train builder certificate as well some cool prizes like a Menchie gift card.  What’s more, the Book Express will be on display at our local library for one month! #howcool

Junior Engineer Day

The Carquinez Model Railroad Society (CMRS) has a quarterly Junior Engineer for the Day workshops. These workshops allow children ages 10 and older the ability to use club equipment or run their own steam or diesel train around the CMRS railroad. But, the biggest perk, in my opinion, is being partnered up with a CMRS mentor. Not only is a wonderful opportunity to meet someone that share the same passion as your child, but they can also pick their brain with any questions they might have. To learn more, visit cmrstrainclub.org.     

August

Classroom prep

My coworkers and I spent a few days in the beginning of August cleaning, organizing, labeling, and preparing our classroom for the first day of school. Tada!

Fifth grade

Last week, this little one started fifth grade and we closed out summer with a trip to Dunkin!

Shopping Ramblings

I wasn’t planning to shop as much as I did but July was a big month in terms of sales.  What lead me down the rabbit hole was these school uniform pants for my son at Target.  I’ve never seen them as low as $10 before so I made sure to take advantage.  I even asked my dad to check his local Target store to see if he can help me grab a few more.  My son is now fully stocked for this year and beyond!

Quest Protein Chips

The next item, I stocked up on are Quest protein products especially the chips! They are the perfect snack for when the hunger cravings hit.  While I’ve tried most of the flavors and have a few favorites like the BBQ and Loaded Taco, my son and I love the Sweet Spicy Chili the best.  Every bite is flavorful, and the crunch is oh so satisfying! 

Supergoop! Sunscreen

Along the way, I found the Supergoop! Sunscreen on sale and it was an immediate add to cart.  I love this sunscreen so much.  It is truly just the best! It goes on smoothly and absorbs very quickly.  I use it daily and never leave home without it.    

Mini Belt Bag

Then, I came across this mini belt bag.  Not only is it the size perfect for carrying essentials like your “beary” little bestie but it is also the perfect companion for a hands-free day.  It’s lightweight, well-made, and has an interior and exterior compartment for organization.  The strap is adjustable, and I love that it can be worn multiple ways.  

And, of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to also refresh my “work” wardrobe with a few pieces for the upcoming school year.  Since I work with little children and spend a lot of my time moving around my goal was it had to be cute and comfortable for the classroom, meetings, and trainings, but also functional and practical for outdoor play or recess duty.  Basically, ready for anything the day throws at me! So, think flowy dresses, oversized shirts, wide leg jumpsuits…

Tie dye Dress | Linen Shirt | Jumpsuit

… and a jacket!

It’s been a few years since I shopped the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. But this year, a few things caught my eye and the one piece that I kept coming back to is this Sam Edelman patch pocket jacket. I am happy to report that this piece will be an absolute staple in my closet. I love the patch pockets and big buttons. So cute! It does have a boxy oversized fit so make sure to size down if you are in between sizes. I usually wear a small in jackets, but I am wearing an XS here and the length hits at the perfect spot. It can be worn with jeans, but also leggings and dresses.

Blog Ramblings

Get excited because I am baaccckkkk! #lol

I won’t go into too much detail about my blogging break since I have a post that will talk about where my head is at regarding blog content and what does mean for LMC going forward. #staytuned

In the meantime, I did have some down time while on my “adult” summer break and managed to whittle down my camera roll from 2500 to a little less than 700 photos. #highfive But not only that, I also got my thoughts together on a few of these posts and in no particular order, I’ll start rolling them out on the blog starting the ninth of next month. #hiphiphooray

Now, it’s your turn! How have you been? What’s a highlight for you this summer?

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you).  

**Additionally, some items linked above are not the exact item shown because it is either old or sold out, but I linked similar items for those that are unavailable.