CA Highway 1 Discovery Route destination: Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

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As grandmother to three rambunctious grandsons and another equally active stepgrandson, I've seen my share of children engaging in play battles with one another. From wrestling on the trampoline to Wii wars to Nerf gun wars, I'm no stranger to the competitive, creative capers of kids.

Which is why I never imagined one of the highlights of the mother/daughter trip my oldest and I were treated to along the California Highway 1 Discovery Route (compliments Highway 1 Discovery Route) would be watching little ones battle it out with one another. Yet when the little ones were not so little at all — hundreds and hundreds of pounds, in fact — and elephant seal babes instead of human babes, my daughter and I were enchanted by the action (and inaction) taking place at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery just north of San Simeon along California's Central Coast.

elephant seal rookery 

My daughter and I were instantly intrigued the moment we got out of our car and leaned over the railing separating the massive marine animals from the curious animal lovers enjoying...

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Documenting our outing: Mother, daughter, pink beach cruisers... and a selfie fail

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When my daughter and I visited Morro Bay in California a week or so ago, we were treated to two single-speed beach cruisers — pink! — for a bicycle ride around the Embarcadero, to Morro Rock, and along the sandy shores of Morro Strand State Beach. All courtesy Farmer's Kites & Surreys.

The laid-back bikes provided a delightful ride along the beach, with stops here and there to watch otters at play and surfers attempting to master the waves. My daughter led the way on our one-hour wending and winding near the water's edge.

Being a photo fanatic who must document everything, I made Brianna stop to take a selfie with me on our matching pink bikes. Despite several attempts to wrangle our bee-yoo-tiful bikes into view as well as our happy faces, I was unable to capture the moment as I'd hoped.

mother daughter selfie 

A definite selfie fail. At least in terms of...

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Weekend movie review: Eddie the Eagle

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When it comes to watching movies, I have to be in a certain mood for certain genres. Say, if I'm in the mood for a documentary, a rom-com won't satisfy, no matter how satisfying it might be if I were in a rom-com mood. Many times my husband and I have let a Netflix DVD sit on the shelf for weeks because we're just not in the mood for drama or perhaps historical fiction despite wanting to see the movie at some point.

One genre I'm always up for, though, always in the mood to watch is the feel-good, root-for-the-underdog genre. Which I'm pretty sure isn't, technically, a movie genre. But it's one of my favorite sorts of films, especially if it's based on a real-life wanna-be winner and has a fair sprinkling of humor and sweetness flavoring the inspirational tale being told.

eddie the eagle

EDDIE THE EAGLE, starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman, with delightful secondary stars — including Christopher Walken in a brief but key part — is exactly that sort of film.

Egerton plays Michael "Eddie" Edwards, a quirky, committed, and seemingly fearless young British lad who was determined...

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Entertaining grandkids: 3 sure things

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Entertaining grandkids: 3 sure things

As a long-distance grandma with visits being few and far between, I feel obligated to provide memorable merriment for my three grandsons each time I see them. I put careful consideration into packing my grandma bag with goodies and games and crafty ideas galore.

Sometimes the magical makings I lug 800 miles to my grandsons' door elicit exactly the enjoyment I'd hoped. Sometimes they fail. Especially if picking a Pinterest activity to try together without trying it first myself.

When I visited Bubby, Mac, and Jak last month, I failed at more than a few things. On the other hand, there were a few that surpassed my expectations in terms of the enjoyment factor for the boys. Three in particular were a huge success, and these will likely have a spot in my grandma bag each visit going forward.

Following are those three sure things because if they entertain my grandkids, I'm willing to bet they'll entertain most. Consider them as go-to options for your grandma bag — or to have on hand if you're one of those fortunate grandmas whose grandkiddos live nearby.

FREAKY FACES APPLE SNACK

Now, this one didn't require me packing much in my grandma bag, just a quick trip to the grocery store upon my arrival for the fixings: apples, strawberries, chocolate chips, and peanut butter, plus anything not stocked in Megan's pantry that I needed for this recipe for the freaky eyes (which needs to be made at least 24 hours before snack assembly as the eyes need to dry).

freaky face apple snacks

They're pretty simple: Just quarter an apple; remove...

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Brief look: Where we stayed, what we saw

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My daughter Brianna and I set out on our California Highway 1 Discovery Route and Morro Bay adventure yesterday. We are enjoying it immensely, and I'll have loads to share in my recap of the fun upon my return. For now, though, I wanted to quickly share with you a brief look of where we're staying the first two nights and what we first saw when we crossed the street from our hotel.

sand pebbles inn cambria

Breathtaking! The Sand Pebbles Inn in Cambria is...

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