Wordless Wednesday: Minimum Day Traditions

: Our Minimum Day Tradition- Slushies from Sonic

In our school district, we have a minimum day once a week. The kiddos love it not only because they have a shortened school day, but also because we have a little tradition. Every Minimum day after school we head over to sonic for a slushie. It just so happens that Sonic has happy hour everyday from 2pm to 5pm and their drinks are half off. Score for mom!

The kiddos look forward to our minimum day treats and I love chatting with them about their day while enjoying a cold and tasty treat.

How about you? Do you have any Minimum Day Traditions?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun head over to Angry Julie Monday.

Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

Credit: Daytrippingmom

Earlier this month, we decided to set off on a drive down the coast and see where it would lead us. We decided to take a little drive through Fallbrook and wound up pretty much stumbling upon Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside. I think many of us that have grown up in Southern California are familiar with the Santa Barbara Mission or San Juan Capistrano, but there are others that are not quite as well known, one of which is San Luis Rey. This lesser known Mission is actually the biggest of all the 21 California Missions.

The church, a National Historic Landmark, is open daily to visitors via the museum, which oversees its restoration and the care of its collections. The church at San Luis Rey is recognized as the most unique and one of the most beautiful in the mission chain. It is the largest of the 21 California missions and the only one adorned with a wooden dome and cupola. Unique also to San Luis Rey are the side altars and the Madonna Chapel which originally served as a mortuary chapel.

We thought we would only be there for about 15 minutes but we wound up spending almost two hours. The kids loved touring the museum and discovering the grounds. We turned it into a spur of the moment lesson on California history and it was fantastic to watch the kiddos have history come to life. We spend some time exploring the cemetery and the kids were absolutely mesmerized by the dates on the tombstones, since the adjacent cemetery is the oldest cemetery in North San Diego County still in operation. The cemetery dates back to 1798 and it was definitely an interesting experience to explore the grounds of this historic mission. The mission is also home to an active archeological dig/site.

We had a great time exploring the grounds and learning about our local history. I would definitely recommend making the drive to explore this beautiful church and grounds. To learn more about the Mission San Luis Rey, including hours of operation and other additional information head here.

Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057

The Lexus CT Hybrid: A Fun and Eco Drive

: Lexus CT Hybrid

Last month, I had the opportunity to drive the Lexus CT Hybrid for a week. I was in for quite the treat! This premium hybrid not only has excellent gas mileage, it is roomy and absolutely fun to drive.

Credit:Lexus

The Lexus CT Hybrid 200h has a combined mileage of 42 mpg. Definitely impressive! I drove it to San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles for a week, with one tank of gas. It is a great vehicle for a small family, since it very comfortably fits 4 or 5 people. It is a compact 4 door hatchback that had people stopping me and asking me all about it. It looks good, feels good and drives like a dream. The kiddos were looking for excuses to go out for the drive in mommy’s cool “new car”.

Lexus CT Hybrid Rear View

The Lexus CT Hybrid comes with some amazing standard safety features which include:

4-wheel ABS
Front and rear head airbags
Dual front side-mounted airbags
Child seat anchors
Remote anti-theft alarm system
Emergency braking assist
Ventilated front disc / solid rear disc brakes
Rear door child safety locks

As far as Gas Mileage, The Lexus CT Hybrid will knock your socks off. The car features a combined 42 mpg and a Range in miles (cty/hwy): 511.7/476.0 mi. You can go to Vegas and back on one tank!

The kiddos couldn't get enough of the Lexus CT Hybrid

I would love to own the Lexus CT Hybrid, because it would be the ultimate Daytripping vehicle. It is comfortable, drives like a dream and with the current gas prices, it would be nice to only have to fill up realistically about every other week.

To learn more about the Lexus CT Hybrid head here. Trust me, it is one sweet ride!