greetingarts

fun and games

Ever since we won the Game Night raffle basket at Rebecca's Open House last year, we've been trying to play board and card games regularly as a family.  And since my husband has been spending more time with us these past few weekends, we've had a lot of fun just staying at home and sitting around the coffee table, nursing our coughs and slight fevers, and laughing together.  We aren't playing Wii as much, we're playing classics like Uno and Trouble.

Pictureka is a lot of fun, a new game we recently discovered.  We own the Easter edition and the Halloween edition, and once we start playing the kids have a hard time stopping.

By far, though, the prettiest game we own has got to be Froggy.  AllModern.com recently contacted me and asked me if I'd like to choose something (for free!) and write up a review  for them.  I jumped at the chance and gravitated towards The Friends Collection from Sevi (my newest favorite children's company).  Every single toy in that collection is a work of art, and Froggy is no exception.  It's a memory game made of wood and vegetable-based dyes, with the most adorable illustrations.  The game is never the same twice, since you mix the pieces around before you start.

You spin the spinner and feed flies to your frog, trying to remember where the holes are.  Then you move the lever and if your fly stays afloat, the froggy gets to eat and you get to keep your points.  If there was a hole, then the fly will fall through, and the pond gets the fly and you lose your points.  There's memory, strategy (there are different point values on the flies) and luck involved, which makes for a game that all ages can play.  I realize that the price tag is rather high, and I didn't have to pay for mine, but truthfully the quality of the game is outstanding.

I just love looking at those smiling faces.  The ones on the game are pretty dang cute, too. 

when you need an extra hand

My kids love Uno, and this summer we've played a lot.  Even took it to the beach with us on vacation, and got the grandparents in on it, too.  But it's hard for Jessie and even Rebecca sometimes, when they get a lot of cards and have trouble holding them.  I've tried making holders out of CDs (not very successful), picking them up and showing each card one by one while keeping my eyes closed (very time-consuming though pretty much guaranteed to crack the kids up), and just letting them spread them out on the floor  face up (no fun knowing what everyone's cards are).

The solution was actually very simple.  A simple set of Lego stairs and voila!  Fun times.  She had to extend it quite a bit... but that's the beauty of it, even if you need three rows of stairs, no problem at all. 

I actually won this round.

summer activity

For the past week, the temperature has hovered just below 100 degrees, and we've about reached the midpoint of summer vacation.  How can I tell?

Well, instead of answering the question, how about some pictures?  Do you know what this is?  This is my kids occupying themselves when I'm trying to get some laundry and vacuuming done, and they're set up at the coffee table with scratch paper, craft supplies and their own ingenuity.

Front view.  She's hamming it up, here, but still.  That was a *lot* of tape her sister used.

So here I document for posterity, the fact that Rebecca is not always the passive one who gives in to the little one.  She knows Jessie dotes on her and will do nearly anything she says.

And something else to remember: Sometimes a little creativity - and a roll of tape - is a dangerous thing.

grunion run #1

My husband has been telling me about going on grunion runs when he was a kid, with his uncle and cousins, for years.  He did some checking, and this year, with Rebecca on summer vacation, and no preschool for Jessie the next day, timing was perfect to attend the organized run at Cabrillo Beach.

We left shortly after dinner, arriving at the beach around 8pm.  In this picture, can you tell who just woke up from a long car-ride nap?  I love that photo.

There, all better now and ready to go.  There was a lot of waiting that night, and the girls were so patient and never once complained or seemed bored. 

We explored the aquarium for about an hour before the movie about grunion, then afterward, we hatched our very own grunion babies.  See those little streaks in there?  Well, okay, maybe not, but, seriously, trust me, we watched the eggs pop open before our eyes while we swirled the sand and sea water in the glass jars (simulating the tide and wave action).  It was so amazing and thrilling.    Then it was finally time to head out to the beach with our guides.  We sat in a line parallel to the waves, while the numbers of grunion increased, and waited our turn while the researchers gathered buckets full for their studies.  Then, at last, we were let loose.

I don't know who was more excited, the kids or the adults, but I do know who was the wimpiest at picking up the crazy, surprisingly (and disconcertingly) muscular, squirming, wriggling six inch long fish - me!  I squealed like a pig, giggled like a four year old, and had a fantastic time.  Before we even made it to the beach, Rebecca said she was going to get at least 20, and Jessie was shooting for "100.  Or more!"  But actually, the girls didn't even attempt to grab any, just stood in the midst of the glistening, shimmering mass and laughed and laughed, heads thrown back, mouths and eyes open wide.  Such pure joy.

We caught three.  Talked to them, named them (Reflect, Sparkly and Michelle - don't ask), Jessie really is a little jokey jokester) and then said goodbye, as we sent them back to "be with their families."  Super great, super fun, something I'll remember forever.  We're making this one a tradition, and will do it every year for as long as the girls want. 

initialbooks and the internet

Oh, hello, hello, finally!  That was a painful three weeks without the internet, no dial tone through my home phone, and hours upon hours spent dealing with nice but completely freaking clueless customer service representatives and those blasted voice activated menus.  Will someone please tell me why a machine will instruct me to dictate my name, address, ten digit account number, service issue and blah blah blah, put me on hold, transfer me six times, and then, twenty minutes later, direct me to an operator who asks me for the exact. same. stinkin'. information?  I just deleted the whole novella I just wrote about the saga, I don't need to relive it.  Let's just hope my internet stays connected or my head seriously might explode.

Anyway, moving on.  See how magnanimous I'm being?  How I haven't even once mentioned which incompetent, royally screwed up company I've been dealing with?  I'm so good, huh?

So now it's summer vacation for my 6 year old (the baby still has preschool two days a week throughout the summer because I can't risk losing her spot in the program)  and we both are looking foward to a slower, lazier few weeks ahead.  This last month and a half I spent most of my days helping out at Becca's school.  There was Teacher Appreciation Week, Book Fair, Open House, library inventory, yearbook distribution, taking down the students' work from the walls, submitting another bunch of Box Tops and Campbell's Labels before vacation, and the classroom work I'd been helping out with all year.  Rebecca's first grade teacher was just spectacular, the kind you dream of for your children.  She is dedicated, loving, enthusiastic, energetic, patient, and encouraging, and with all that she did for Rebecca and her students, she even took time to make Jessie feel welcome and comfortable. 

For the last day of school, I made her a Craft Apple Mini Patchfolio, included a brown Sharpie (to match the fabric), and I'm proud of the way it came out.  I quilted the flower motifs and that was an easy way to acheive a nice design without having to do any marking or think about it too much.  I didn't include the final step of adding cardboard between the layers before topstitching around the whole thing, because I figure this way Rebecca's teacher can throw it in the wash in case it ever gets dirty.  I covered the original header of the little notebook pad with a strip of excess fabric and some gluestick, which I think made a really nice finishing touch.  Much better than an office supply store logo blazing away up there on top.

And each one of Rebecca's classmates received a little sewn notebook, personalized with their first initial.  These were made from some bright copy paper, cut into fourths.  Each quarter sheet (4.25" x 5.5") was folded in half individually, corners rounded with my new cool toy (which my husband still can't quite believe essentially performs only one function), unfolded, stacked into groups of eight, placed inside a cardstock cover (4.5" x 6" folded in half and then unfolded), and machine sewn down the center.  The initals were taken from scraps of the cardstock, or cut with my Sizzix, and raised with a bit of foam tape.

I actually had all of my year-end gifts completed and ready to go well before the last week of school.  Didn't have to stress out or stay up late one single evening, nearly a miracle for me.  And I'm sure entirely due to the fact that the vortex that is the internet wasn't available to me.  So I guess it wasn't all bad, huh?

technical difficulties

Hi, all!  It's me!  I'm still here, we're all healthy and well and I've been crafting and creating up a storm lately.   But, unfortunately, I'm not doing any connecting, thanks to a phone company that first mistakenly disconnected my DSL line, and then my entire phone connection.  Don't even get me started on my thoughts regarding automated phone messages, out-of-country customer service call centers and voice menus.  You don't want to know.  The first available date for the company to send a service technician is June 5, three weeks after they made the mistake in the first place.  So that's how Rebecca will spend her first day of summer vacation, stuck at home waiting for a repairman.  At least she won't have to wake up early.

Anyway, that's the deal.  My husband let me use his office computer for a few minutes while he dragged the girls to the bank.  So, I'm trying to type like lightning and am avoiding the 578 emails I have.  Please don't delete me from your blogrolls, I'll be back soon (I say, with all the optimism I can muster).  This is my first post in three years without a photo... sigh.  Well, I'll have lots to show later!

moose and a giraffe... and have a nice day, too

Ali and I have been exchanging magazines for months and months now, and last week I received the latest Charlie & Lola, along with a little note from Ali.  I promptly squirreled away the magazine, but left the postcard on the table, thinking my girls would love the cats on the back and use it as a bookmark or something.  Rebecca picked it up and read it, then asked me who Ali was.  I explained she was my bloggy friend from England.  Now, for the past few nights we've been reading Judy Moody Declares Independence, where the main character meets a gal from England and various cultural references come up and work their way into Judy's vocabulary.  She says barmy instead of crazy, gobsmacked instead of amazed.  Stuff like that.  So anyway, Rebecca reads Ali's card again, then looks at me and says, "So is 'moose and a giraffe' the way people in England say 'Hi, how are you doing?'"

So, moose and a giraffe, and have a great weekend.

my little entrepreneur

Anyone want to buy a boat?  They're on sale.  Ten cents each, such a bargain.

Who could resist?  Certainly not me, I'm now the proud owner of a dark pink beauty.  My little businesswoman is suffering from a bit of a fever, so our plans for the aquarium are put on hold and we're just going to take it easy this weekend.  Hope yours is germ-free and full of little treasures.

i totally deserve this

Because today I rode with two first grade classes (which translates into 40 very excited six and seven year olds) on a bouncing yellow school bus for a twenty mile drive.  Both ways.

Because after getting to our destination, we realized that at least two other school districts were also having their field trip excursions on the same day, at the same time.

Because I spent five hours (was it only five?!) counting to 20 over and over to make sure we had all our kids. 

Because we picnicked on wet grass, and I had to take five girls to the restroom at the park where there were no doors on the stalls and only one working faucet.

Because we made a very disturbing, disgusting discovery consisting of bodily fluids and rubber (if you get my drift) in the middle of our lunch area.

             

So tonight I'm grabbing some chocolate covered macadamias and curling up with my two latest additions, Crobots and Sewing Green, and enjoying some Me Time. 

By the way, I'm pretty much just kidding about all of the above being an ordeal (except the last thing, which really was just too disgusting for words).  I feel so lucky to have been a chaperone for the field trip today.  I was responsible for my daughter and some of the most well-behaved girls in the class, and as I was looking around, I realized we had one of the best classes in the whole place.  Two of our kids even fell asleep in the bus on the way home.  So sweet.  It was a crazy, hectic, fun-filled, sunny, warm-but-not-hot, very active, wonderful day.

But I still totally deserve the books.

question of the day

"Mommy, is this my threehead?"

"Your what?"

"And is this my fivehead?"

"Can you stop laughing at me now, Momma?"