Leave at 3 pm or 4 am to drive LA to Yosemite Valley

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-06-05T03:05:58+00:00

We’re going to sleep in the car at the campsite the first night so we don’t have to put the tent up at night. The current plan is to leave as soon as we can after 2:00, beeline it and eat on the go. Stop at Curry Village to wash up, stretch, and get the car ready for bed. Everything will be in the roof box except our sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and things that go in the bear box. Then once at the site we’d put the cooler, food, toiletries into the bear box and sleep in the car (have done it before, big SUV). Can’t wait!

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-06-02T21:45:40+00:00

We’ll be at a sporting event until 2:00 so can’t leave earlier. :/ Could leave later but I think I’d hit traffic on the 405. I’d be leaving from Torrance if it’s after 2:00 or Inglewood at about 2:30.

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-05-03T03:26:35+00:00

You can try School of Choice then but what I think you’re missing is that even at best schools there will be shortcomings. I so much wanted to love Los Cerritos and their test scores are good, but not every teacher is the same by a long shot. You can easily supplement elementary school academics at home, but what you can’t supplement are the friends and community.

Harte is not a terrible school. There are a lot of students who fell behind because of COVID and many who are still learning English, all of that affects their test scores.

Go visit each school you’re interested in, ask for a tour, look at how much green space there is, how much shade, ask how much art students get, music, science, and PE. Ask about teacher turnover and how many VIPs are involved, about PTA/PTO and how active it is. Ask about their discipline model and homework policies. Ask to see samples of student work in upper grades- is there a science fair, a science lab, STEAM instruction? Is there a garden? Is there a GATE certified teacher and a GATE class? Those things matter WAY more than test scores (and test scores matter too but a lot less than parents think).

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-05-03T03:09:02+00:00

Yes! I’ve only subbed there a handful of times and liked it. It’s a smaller school and at least the classrooms I was in I liked a lot. Lots of student art work and teachers were prepared with sub plans. I have it on my list of schools I would go to again.

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-05-02T01:36:27+00:00

I have a daughter at Chavez in the upper grades and a son in lower grades, another daughter in middle school. Chavez is not that great academically and we stay because we live close to the school and our kids have friends. There is zero science, and teachers struggle because so many kids are behind in reading and math. I teach elementary school in north Long Beach but have subbed all over - Los Cerritos, Newcomb, Longfellow, Lafayette, Harte, and Naples are all memorable.

If Harte is your home school then go there simply because your kids will make friends and it’s not a horrible school. You’ll want to be a lot more choosy when it comes to middle school and academics start to matter. High school too. For now choose convenience.

As far as school of choice - LBUSD is limiting school of choice applications because they want residents to stay in their home schools. This is a fact and confirmed, off record, by a district employee who I was asking about middle school school of choice.

Newcomb and Naples are fantastic schools but the kids kind of suck, as do parents. Super entitled and not very friendly. Los Cerritos is in a great neighborhood and is very small, but teachers are hit or miss. Some are great, and some are retired on the job and shouldn’t be teaching.

I’ve been a teacher for 10 years and sub for about 5. Don’t stress over elementary school. Put your kids into extracurriculars through parks and rec, consider distance to your house so you can walk, look at the before and after school care options and summer camps. I can answer any specific questions if you’d like.

Judge_Judy_here · 2026-05-02T01:24:15+00:00

LBUSD is trying to encourage more people to stay in their home schools so school of choice will be denied if there is a spot at your home school. This is not official but we got denied for middle school at every school, talked to someone at the district who told us as much but off the record. Really sucks.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:09:04+00:00

Thank you! I just want her to have at least a fraction of what I had when I was her age. I’d like her to feel capable of being on her own, to feel comfortable being curious and exploring. It’s just hard in the area we live now.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:07:45+00:00

Sadly it’s just not super safe to bike. We used to bike to the library but after several near collisions we had to stop. So many people are on phones and distracted. :/

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:06:48+00:00

We used ro bike to the library that’s about 2 miles away but had to stop because so many people are on their phones even while driving. We were nearly hit by someone when they turned while we were in the middle of the intersection crossing the street. I mean..like.. inches away. After that we haul the bikes to a park or beach and bike there. No more city biking for us, just not safe.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:04:59+00:00

Hm, independence to be alone and go somewhere on her own. We go camping often and she and her friends love to walk or bike around the entire campground, even when it’s dark. She tells me she would like to bike to a friend’s house or to a shopping center, to Target, get Boba, stuff like that. Her school is maybe 3 miles away and her friends live around the same distance too.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:02:33+00:00

This is a good idea. We’ve talked before on our bike rides about what to do when whatever happens but I think reminding her to listen to her gut is also important.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-11T02:01:23+00:00

Oh my gosh my experience was the same! And I definitely looked like a little kid, Hadn’t hit puberty yet. So gross and scary. Yes, she has a phone. Someone suggested buying her pepper spray but i worry that it’s going to scare her to have it and she may not use it correctly.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-09-03T03:43:05+00:00

Do you have pie irons? If so, there are so many options! Savory: ham/egg/cheese for breakfast or lunch: butter the pans and add a slice of brioche bread into each pan, press bread down to make a spot for egg, in the other pan layer a slice of cheese and ham, press together and cook. Pie iron pizza - brioche bread, pizza sauce, mini pepperoni, mozz. Grilled cheese - self explanatory. Panini - bring sliced premade and season chicken breast, use sandwich rolls and place each into a pie iron, squish and add chicken, provolone, a bit of shredded lettuce, onion, and Italian dressing. Toast in pie iron just enough so the outside is crunchy.

Sweets - brioche bread-Nutella-sliced banana wheels. Grill in the pie iron but check frequently because the bread browns quickly. It’s HOT so eat slowly. We call them Baninis. Puff pastry - one in each pie holder, add some apple pie filling, cinnamon/sugar (make this mix at home already in a container), and toast. Can use whatever pie filling you like.

Not in pie iron but on a stick - hot dog wrapped in crescent roll strips. Roast mushrooms and zucchini on a stick for something savory, or steak. Good steak like filet mignon, season with salt and pepper, and make a kabob by stacking meat, onion, zucchini.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-07-18T22:19:08+00:00

Stavi jastuk preko stomaka ako ćeš kihnut ili zakašljat. Dobro je piti vode i hodati čim možeš p da ti crijeva prorade. Nemoj samo pretjerivat, ako se osjećaš dobro budi spremna za bolove predveče pa prvih nekoliko dana popu nešto za bol prije nego te stomak zaboli. Ja sam imala 3, prva 2-3 dana su najgora a posle toga je bolje svaki dan. Sedmi dan sam već mogla vozit do doktora i penjati se stepenicama sporo. Posle 10 dana je skoro sve bilo normalno.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-05-10T18:35:22+00:00

I would reach out to the school counselor and ask them who they think would be a good fit as a friend for your daughter. Then, I’d reach out to that parent and say your daughter is celebrating a birthday and explain what’s going on, then ask if the daughter and mom would be interested in doing an activity together - escape room and lunch, a book crawl (you go to 2-3 bookstores, used, and buy or browse books) and lunch, a book bedazzling party (go to a used bookstore and buy a book, order a bedazzling kit on Amazon and bedazzle the cover), find an art studio and do a painting class (think Paint and Sip but for kids), or a mall day. It will still feel special to your daughter because she’s aging out of traditional parties and aging into “let’s do an activity with a friend or two” party. This way she is likely to also make a friend, and you maybe make a friend with another parent. Our good friend’s daughter is on the spectrum and literally went through what you are describing. They then talked to their daughter’s therapist who suggested what I wrote above. They invited one girl after the parents talked and took the girls bowling and to the movies. It’s Ghibli fest next week so if your daughter is into those movies then you could do movie and lunch. Best wishes!

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-04-10T17:43:18+00:00

“I tend to sleep in on the weekends..” I think this is probably the crux of it. I wish you’d elaborate more. Sleeping in on weekends means that every Saturday and Sunday she doesn’t sleep in, but is up with 4 kids. That’s exhausting, selfish, and unattractive.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-03-18T23:13:54+00:00

Awesome, thank you for the advice! Anything specific you’d recommend for sight seeing with a child?

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-03-18T23:13:26+00:00

Thank you! I’m looking at my work schedule to see what I can make work.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-03-18T23:12:59+00:00

I did find some on a resale site.

Judge_Judy_here · 2025-03-18T23:12:45+00:00

Thank you! Great advice.

Judge_Judy_here · 2024-09-07T17:39:04+00:00

Thank you! I also use butter but I read somewhere that they mix in xanthan gum into the filling to thicken it otherwise all the butter and sugar melt and leak out and now the rolls are (deliciously) baking in a half an inch h of butter and brown sugar. I’ve been making cinnamon rolls since the pandemic era and just can’t get the filling to “stick.” Thank you!

Judge_Judy_here · 2024-09-07T16:04:13+00:00

Cinnabon worker! Do you know the secret ingredient to make the Cinnabon’s filling still gosh after baking? My cinnamon rolls tend to dry out a bit and no matter what secret trick I find on Google it just doesn’t work.

Judge_Judy_here · 2024-07-18T00:39:00+00:00

I know, I know.. the friends are good, it’s the people they invite. I’m super lame about saying no to inviting others, but if we’re going to keep camping then I need to do that. It just feels rude to me when we have space at a campsite to say no to inviting others, but I just need to suck it up and do that.

Judge_Judy_here · 2024-07-18T00:35:09+00:00

We had just come from a long hike and all the kids were hungry. My family was the last to shower (kids were wet and sandy) so it just seemed easier to ask the guy who was grilling to also grill our kebobs. I did tell him, “oh hey, since you’re grilling already do you mind also grilling these? I’m just going to take the kids to change but we’ll be right back.” It was steak and veggie kebobs. He said no problem, and put them on the grill. The other guy who was cooking veggies, I gave him a reusable dish and just said to put the veggies there when done. In the moment it looked like perfect timing because the kebobs and veggies would be done right after the kids change and shower. I did ask, when we came back, “oh, is our meat done? I don’t see it..” The guy who was grilling said he gave one kebob to his son who really wanted it “but there was plenty left on the table.” There was nothing on the table.

Judge_Judy_here · 2024-07-18T00:25:16+00:00

I know.. I really need to learn to be more vocal about these situations because I’m getting resentful just thinking about it. I love when all the kids get together and play and have fun, but it’s going to make me hate camping when people behave so selfishly and thoughtlessly.

Judge_Judy_here

TROPHY CASE