Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Beginning of Summer

So we're officially two weeks into our summer and we're having
a great time. I have spent the last week trying to figure out
how to plan my weeks with the girls (I know it's a little late).
I didn't really want to do themes every week, although I think
it's a great idea!! I'm not great with sticking to a schedule for
that long. I may change my mind half way through the week.
I did have some things I wanted to do often or every week,
& wanted to do something fun & cute, just wasn't sure how I
was going to organize it all. Well, a little time and research on
the internet...let me just take this time to say, I think I'm a better
parent because of the internet :) Of course there were a lot smarter
& more creative moms than me...and thank goodness they came up
with some super ideas!!! This is the one I chose and I'll share her blog
at the end of this post...


I made a banner that says "summer". Here's the letters...


Then I made envelopes with the days of the week on them.
I wrote activities on cards that we want to do each week.
I put the activity cards, I want to do each day, into the day
of the week envelope and then clipped them to the banner.
And the girls get to take them out each morning to see what
we're doing that day. This way I can change it up if I need to.
Like this week, we were going to have a play date and they had
to cancel. So, I just changed the card with another one & they
never knew the diff!! I also can put in several cards at a time, if
we are doing several things that day. I also put in things that
need to get done. Yesterday, for example, I put in "clean up" &
"play dough". We needed to clean up their room & I put that with
something fun. I thought maybe they wouldn't be that interest or
excited, but I was wrong. They were so excited!!!

This is before I distressed them :)


Here's the envelope to hold all the activities.


Here are a few ideas for cards & the blog of the mom
I got this idea from. Her banner is much cuter, but I made
mine in a night, upcycled card board & my kids helped :)
They don't have to be that creative or off the wall. They can
be skills you want your kids to learn or stuff that needs to
get done around the house or fun family days.

Summer activity ideas:
(Here's what I have for this week): clean up, play dough (make &
play), the fair, Dr's appt, laundry, playdate, gardening, pack for
our trip.
More ideas: write a letter, nature day, treasure hunt, kids choice,
ice cream party, bike ride, park, beach, acts of kindness, something
new, zoo, museum, easy bake, make overs (I have girls), science day,
organize, music day, movies (Regal theaters has free family days,
go to their website to find out when & where), fishing, having friends
over, day with grandma (ours' live close), game day, craft day,
friends scrapbooking day, lunch with daddy, school day, tea party, library
(story day), water park, sewing...to name just a few.
The ones like nature day, treasure hunt, acts of kindness, science day,
game day, craft day...basically they are themed days. For instance,
nature day, we will be learning about, going out in, looking up, reading
about...nature. Game day & acts of kindness are gonna be my faves :)

Here's the blog & her great ideas...
Secrets of a Super Mommy


Monday, June 21, 2010

Some fun with the girls...

Just wanted to share some fun times with my girlies!
School is now out for summer and I'm looking forward
to having lots of fun with them...starting tomorrow :)

AND...my camping tips post is coming soon. I've been
waiting to do it when we have all of our stuff out to take
pictures. So, our next camping trip is in two weeks, so
I'll post it next week sometime!!

Breakfast for dinner :)
One of our favorites!!

Kenz didn't want her pic taken :}

Hannah's class took a trip to the zoo.
It was a fun day, but a bit hot!!

We love the Meerkats!!!

For some reason, I'm really loving these
vultures!! They have such character,
especially when the walk around...so funny!

The new elephant exhibit is awesome!!

Love me some zebras!!

Do you see the baby...so cute!

See that baby...even cuter!!!

Another cute baby!! I could watch the
giraffes forever!! Love them!

Kenz is trying to master the hula hoop!
She's getting better everyday!

Hannah is amazing!! She could do it for
hours. Her mommy can't even hula hoop!
Maybe she can teach me this summer :)


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Check out the cake I made for my Auntie's b-day!!!

My Aunty Lei's birthday was on Monday and we celebrated with
sushi and this yummy (if I do say so myself) gluten-free
chocolate cake.
I'm sharing it because it's the prettiest cake I've ever made.
Usually my cakes are yummy, but not that cute. They're more
rustic :) But, I put all my baking school lessons to work on
this one...

Crumb coat :)


Wasn't as perfect as I would like it, but I don't have a
Lazy Susan and I almost ran out of frosting :{


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Our camping trip...

We went camping last weekend at San Onofre State Park on the
San Mateo site. It was fun to get away and have some chill time!
We took Hannah out of school early to beat the traffic and had
a great little drive up there.
One of the funny things was that we heard machine gun fire and
big gun booms all day. It's right on the border of Camp Pendelton.
In my next post, I will give you some tips for camping and have
pictures of how we do it. I feel like we have a pretty great system
and have some great tips to help you have a wonderful camping
experience. So, look for that post next :)
Here are some pictures of our fun little weekend...


We went on a little hike and while we were gone, evil squirrels
ate my home-made gluten free bread...so mad!!!!


View of the valley where we were camping


This was our dessert on Friday night. I found these in the dollar
bins at Target. Other wise they're like $4 a piece if you buy
it at your regular grocery store. The girls had never seen Jiffy Pop
before...they thought it was sooooo cool! :)


Kenz & I making lunch. I look pretty jacked when we camp :)
It's a make up free weekend.


We took the girls to the Beach on Saturday to get some energy out.
It was cold!! But, they had a great time anyway. Remember when
you were a kid??? Would stay in the water until you got hypothermia :)


Played lots of games together


Sidewalk chalk is a must...if there is pavement!!! We didn't bring any
with us and went to a store and bought some.
Needed to keep them busy!!


And of course....S'MORES!!! I make gluten free graham crackers for this,
because it's one of my faves!!! And my grahams are delish!!


And last, but not least...one of my favorite things about camping...
staring at the fire. So relaxing!!! and I love the smell


And don't forget to check my next post for camping tips & tricks!!