summer fun + bubbles

it was on our summer list. it was not the first and definitely not the last time we do it. it was bubble time. i love bubbles. i always have loved bubbles. they're just a fun summertime activity. almost like running through the sprinklers, just a little bit stickier. today we did bubbles and the kids and i had so much fun. i bought some cheapo wands at target in the $ section, had some leftover bubble solution i got on clearance last summer from target (but, it's super easy to make your own - see below) and we made our own little bubbleland right in our front yard. the kiddo's were thouroughly enjoying themselves and i was enjoying snapping pics of them. take a look...

big

or small

we played

with them all.

we made bubble foam

we danced

all in front of our home.

we chased them

we caught them

we even stopped to smell them.

to make your own bubble solution all you got to do is this:

mix 1 cup water, with 4 tbls. liquid dish washing soap (the blue Dawn works the best, but any will do). and that's it. some recipes say to add 2 tbls. light karo syrup or glycerin, but i never do. they work just fine with the soap and water. if you want a firmer bubble, you might want to add the syrup. oh and you might need to tweek the recipe to your desired liking. add more soap if your bubbles seem to watery or vice versa.

have fun! happy summer!

our summer schedule + cool summer project

it's that time again. time to relax, rest and recuperate. that's right it's summertime. count me in for all of the above, but i also have some things planned for this summer too.

here's the list...

eat ice cream go to the zoo swimming ride bikes

play in the sprinklers BBQ make ice cream

go to the beach ride the train READ watch fireworks camp in the park play with friends SPLASH PAD dance visit the museum walk through a garden find a shady tree go to the library ride the great balloon camp in the backyard turtle rock go to the aquarium walk at the beach eat fresh fruit THE FARMERS MARKET sew paint blow bubbles picnic feed the ducks scooter meet new friends listen to music movie nights ice cream truck go to the zoo dinner with friends craft day go the the fair plant flowers ice cream party tuesday beach day make lemonade make an outdoor chalkboard hike tide pools night walks visit the nature center write stories look for bugs learn FRENCH bonfires

i think that should keep us busy for awhile, what ya think?

one of things on our summer list is to make an outdoor chalkboard. i got the idea from maria over at a lil bit of ireland, lil bit of costa rica. this is what hers looks like...

i think it's super cute and a great idea. i can't wait to have the mister make us one.

hope you have a FUN-filled summer.

another day in nature + emergency kit

have i told you that i love our home school nature group? i think i have and i really do. we do the funnest, coolest adventures together. on my own i am not much of an explorer, but this group brings it out of me.

this weeks nature day was wild blackberry or boysenberry picking. (to find out the difference between the two you can go here) i actually think both berries were present. all i know is that my kiddo's thought they were delicious.

they were eager to join their friends over on the hill

and pick their own berries.

my girl brought a basket for her pickings

the little fella picked some too

however, he didn't need a basket because he just ate them right off the bush

stained lips and fingers to prove it

as usual the kiddo's played, explored, imagined and pretended together

they gathered under a shady tree and some of them even attempted to climb it

it was another fun day in nature and we will be back because look at all those soon to be ripened berries.

on a side note: unfortunately, where there are berries there are bees. a couple of our kiddo's got too close to a beehive (we didn't know it was there until after) and they were attacked by a swarm of angry bees. one of them got stung 14+ times. thankfully, between our group we were able to round up some things to help this poor kiddo out. one mama had a first aid kit in her car that had calamine lotion, i had tylenol in my bag and there was lots help trying to keep the little one calm and her mama too. but, it got me thinking of how important it is for us mama's to be prepared. if you don't already have an emergency kit in your car you should really get one. you never know when accidents will happen and hopefully they won't. but, i can guarantee if you ever do have to use it, you will not regret having it. i currently do not have an emergency kit in my car. it is on my list of things to do by the end of this week. (my car is in the shop until thursday, so i can't get it done any sooner) this is what i plan on putting in it:

car emergency kit

• basic first aid kit
• children's tylenol
• children's benadryl
• a few medicine droppers
• calamine lotion
• instant cold pack
• bottles of water
• some packaged snacks (granola bars, crackers, fruit snacks)
• $20-$40

that's all i got for now. what do you have in your emergency kit? let me know if i forgot anything. you know how i love to be prepared.

all in all, after a trip to the urgent care, a dose of benadryl, some stickers and a lollipop from the doc this little one ended up being ok. she was such a trooper, as well as her mama and big sis.

now go make an emergency kit. do it. you want regret it!

on becoming a bird nerd

i haven't always been a bird nerd. it's actually been a recent transformation. within the last year or so i would say. it all started with homeschooling. i like birds, i always have. some birds that is. cool ones like hawks and pelicans or cute ones like hummingbirds. i'm not into trash birds like seagulls and pigeons they kinda gross me out. but, recently my liking of birds has escalated. i am what some would call a bird nerd. this is how it happened...

it started with these. field guides. we purchased a bird field guide for our nature days with our homeschooling group. we go to a lot of neat places with lots of birds and other fun nature things. we (i) wanted to be able to identify some of the new birds we were seeing. one of our goals for this year was that avery could identify by sight and song 6 different birds. and she can identify at least 6 birds by sight. we are still working on the song and that's were this comes in handy.

but, look at all this wealth of bird knowledge and this is only one side. the other side is covered with water birds, which comes in handy when we are at the beach or wetlands. that's the thing. see, we (i'm) not just using these guides on nature days, but in everyday experiences. just the other day i was at my sisters house, sitting on the lawn watching the kiddo's play (fight) and i saw a bird that i hadn't seen before. i was wondering what it was and remembered i had our (my) field guides in the car. i ran and got them really quick and was able to identify that the bird was a mockingbird. and my sister had been wondering what kind of bird it was too. (she should get a field guide. i'm telling you).

so, it doesn't just stop with birds. i am also becoming a wild flower nerd too. i found a local wildflower guide at our local garden store and quickly took it to the register so it could be mine (ours). within the first few days of owning it we (i) were able to identify this flower. myself and some of the other mamas in our home school group were admiring this beauty on one of our nature days. none of us were sure about what it was until i remembered that i had my field guide. "it's a mexican flannel bush", i said proudly to the group. then we all turned around to get back to our kiddo's and saw a sign below the bush that read "mexican flannel bush". but, what if there wasn't a sign there? we would have never known without my field guide.

when we are not out in the "field" we spend lots of time looking through these books at home. my kiddo's love them. especially the backyard birdsong guide. the little miss received this a birthday gift and she (we) love it. it list the bird, a little bit of knowledge about the bird and then it has a number that you press to hear that particular birds song. (see i told you we were working on it) and it entertains the little fella long enough for me to get through the dishes.

finally to prove to you that i am a true bird nerd i bought these little guys to hang in my bathroom as towel hooks. i will spray paint them yellow and they will make me happy. and i will forever be a bird nerd!

for all you who aren't afraid of being a bird nerd you should watch this it will make you laugh.

if you want to read more about being a bird nerd go here and take a look at her at blogs if you like them vote for her here.

who loves you?

today when i was looking at ohdeedoh, i saw this poster in one of their post.

sycamore street press

i love it.

since my girl was a baby it has been something we have said in our family. we say it in an endearing, loving, playful way. it started right about when avery began to sit-up on her own and babble a lot. i would say to her "who loves you? who loves you? i love you!" my idea behind this saying was to teach her to say "i love you!" to me. it worked. we've been saying this to each other ever since. though now when i say it to her she will respond with "mama loves me". which i love too. then my little fella came along and we passed it along to him. now my girl and i both say this to garrett and he always gives us a loving response of "i love you!" it melts my heart every time. so, instantly when i saw this, i wanted it. i love owls, i love the saying and the only thing i would want to add to it is "I Love You" to the bottom. i wonder if they would do that for me? they're a letterpress company, so i bet you they would. i think it's something i will have to look into or i might make one of these with our saying on it. all i know is i want something with that saying on it so i will always remember my little ones, their sweetness and their innocence. take a look at why i love these two so much. i mean really, who couldn't love these two little babes...

my little fella looks so cool

in his sisters twinkle toes

the sweetest little face for the sweetest little girl

oh and this one, i just love him

and her too, so silly, but I LOVE YOU!

mother's day love

mother's day is...

waking up to flowers + homemade cards + muffins

homemade gifts + homemade pancakes

a new spring dress for the little miss

and some sibling love

(i wish they were always like this)

p.s. i am told there is also a package on the way and i believe it contains something from this. we'll see and i let you know.

have a lovely day with your kiddo's and/or your mother.

surviving the heat: jumping puddles + dancing in the sprinklers

it is hot in so. cal. the kind of hot that makes you just want to do nothing. that is how i pretty much felt yesterday and today for that matter. but, those of you with kiddo's know that when you sit around and do nothing it's almost worse than if you go out and do something. isn't it weird how your kiddo's can find something to whine or complain about even when they are doing nothing? i have to admit, even though my kiddo's have their moments, for the most part they are pretty good at entertaining themselves. okay, anyway back to doing nothing turned into watering the front yard, which meant sprinkler play for the kiddo's. they had such a good time and besides taking pictures of them having a good time, i got to do nothing. it was fun just to watch how different the two of them are. this is how it went...

the little fella found this sprinkler and stepped on it.

then he stepped off and got sprayed with water.

so, he stepped on it again, and off again and on again for a long time. until...

he found this puddle and thought it would be fun to splash around in.

he did this for awhile and thought it was so entertaining.

meanwhile, the little miss was choreographing a dance that went something like this...

she danced pretty much the whole time. i've come to this conclusion, the little fella is totally cause and effect minded. my girl is all about creating and dancing. i don't know, that's just what i think for now. it may change later. hope you are staying cool in this hot so. cal weather.