Growing up, my parents would do these kind of trips often. We explored the vast majority of the East Coast while living in Pennsylvania and then Florida. As a result my history teachers loved me. So my trip to the Bay was intentionally way more educational than relaxing for my kiddos.
First stop was the USS Hornet in Alameda, CA. If you haven't visited this museum, it is a must do for the family. The ship is docked alongside other ships in the old Naval Air Station there. This was a great first stop on our adventure as my kiddos could wander (and play) throughout this vast jungle gym of a ship, climbing up and down ladders and learning about history and maritime voyages during war time. Several photo-ops were guaranteed as my kiddos could sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet, stand next to NASA spacecrafts, and literally insert themselves in the galley, bunks, and dining halls of an old Aircraft Carrier. Awesome hands on learning!
Here we are topside. Beautiful weather :)
After that, we jaunted over to Fisherman's wharf for a small snack bar lunch and then visited the Exploratorium at Pier 15 for a few hours. It was fun watching my kiddos dive in to hands on activities geared towards Science, Engineering, and Technology. This is one place where the "hands off, don't touch" rule is thrown out the window as touching and manipulating things is highly encouraged.
I love these two pictures, as moments like this where my two girls are getting along and not bickering are rare right now in the saga of sisterhood.
After driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and settling into a Travelodge near the town of Mill Valley (cheap and minimal is always preferred on these kind of Americana adventures), we ended our evening having a fabulous Italian dinner at Pasta Pomodora (kid friendly, fresh and healthy). Long but highly enjoyable day was accomplished!
The next morning we drove on a winding but picturesque route to Muir Woods which is a National Park north of the Bay. This is where I realized that my parenting skills are not like other people's. I am not quite sure why, but my children cannot peacefully walk through a majestic redwood forest without acting like hooligans. Yes, they are amusing and entertaining, but they will never be stealth-like hunters and would certainly be ambushed quite easily with their thunderously LOUD behavior. As other patrons to the forest quietly and peacefully took in the beauty around them carrying their babies in tow with adorable little children quietly walking like ducks in a row, my children on the other hand fought like wild animals over who was going to take pictures, kept hitting each other when my back was turned, and the constant litany of "Mom, Angie did this...Mom, tell Zane to stop...or Mom, Gwen just hit me" drove me to lose my pent up calm demeanor and lash out like a crazy woman in the middle of God's beautiful creation. So much for calming ME time...
Looks are deceiving...the one moment where they acted normal in nature.
My little animals...GRRRR!
To end the trip, we spent a few hours calming down and enjoying one of the sandy/rocky beaches of Northern Cali at Muir Beach. Great picnic spot! Finally, time to be calm and relax before the trek home. Phew! I needed it at this point...
Awww, now this is the life :D
So home we went...back to the daily grind. Wish my hubby could have joined in on this trip, but it was a nice escape and fun for my kiddos to hang out with my parents on a short, but entertaining adventure. Many laughable moments, lots of walking, lots of seeing and doing, and great weather!
Successful ME time? Check. Though I probably need a little vacay after the vacay with the kiddos...
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