So instead of summer of science, I think I should re-name it to "summer we destroyed the house, room by room". Stay tuned.....
Showing posts with label summer vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer vacation. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Summer vacation day #2
Today was gong well, I was even going to take them out to do arts and crafts at our local Micheal's. However, when I assumed they were starting to make their lunches (as asked) they were in fact, doing more science projects. And since their was no adult supervision, they were also fooling around. Which is why my kitchen floor is now stained a nice shade of red.
So instead of summer of science, I think I should re-name it to "summer we destroyed the house, room by room". Stay tuned.....
So instead of summer of science, I think I should re-name it to "summer we destroyed the house, room by room". Stay tuned.....
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Summer vacation day #1
The girls finished school yesterday. I am now the proud parent of a 5th, 3rd and 2nd grader. I was going to write a big post about day one of our summer of science (the girls want to do a science project a day), but I'm a little too annoyed right now. Instead, I'll give you three quick numbers.
Summer vacation day # - 1
Bee stings - 1
Broken windows - 1
'nuff said.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Summer vacation 2010
One week into summer vacation and I finally got the girls to sit down and compile a list of things hey want to do this summer.
click to see larger
click to see largerI think we also need to work on penmanship and spelling :)
Looks like we will be busy!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The ABC's of Summer - 2009 edition
You can read our 2008 edition here.
A is for ants. OMG the freaking ants.
B is for bee stings, ouch!
C is for colored hair. The girls really rocked their extensions this summer. It was well worth it!
D is for digging. I dug and installed a pond in the yard. Even before the landscaping was finished, it attracted frogs. Fun!
E is for exhausted girls. Hiking and swimming really wear you out!
F is for friends. Friends for picking blueberries, hiking and playing games, having water gun fights with and eating ice cream. For sleeping over at and watching concerts with. For swimming and going on rides with.
G is for giggly girls. No sound is sweeter.
H is for hiking, we logged in over 25 miles this summer! The girls did great and can now regularly endure 3-4 mile hikes.
I is for ice cream! We love ice cream. The girls figured out that the local place will give them a scoop of any flavor they want to try first. So each ice cream cone follows a spoonful. The good thing, they've tried (and lied) a bunch of new flavors!
J is for jumping rope and hula hoops. Little girls playing on the deck, rain or shine. It's also for jumping off docks! Einey was so proud to pass the swim test and to be allowed in the deep end, where she could happily jump off the docks all summer long.
K is for kicking soccer balls. We spent one week watching Meenie at soccer camps, kicking away.
L is for letterboxing. We found over 65 letterboxes, planted 18 and attended one event this summer.
M is for mulching the garden. Barefoot. See "x" below. Note to self - wear shoes when gardening!
N is for painted nails. Pink, green, blue. Sometimes alone or all at once.
O is for opening gifts at their un-birthday party.
P is for parties. We ended the summer this weekend with our third annual back to school bash.
Q is for quiet afternoons swimming at the lake. We spent many, many days up at the lake. The kids had a blast playing with the lifeguards and Einey LOVED being one of the few people allowed to swim in the deep end and jump off the docks (you need to pass a swim test first).
R is for rain. We had way more then normal this summer in New England!
S is for studying, studying, studying. Husband went back to school at work and while he's actually on a 7-3, 40 hour work week, so theoretically, should have more time at home, he doesn't. He may physically be home more, but his head is buried so far into the textbooks, a bomb could go off around him and he not notice.
T is for turtle. We enjoyed our summer with the school turtle - even if he tried to bogart my lattes - he swam in our pond while we cleaned out his cage. He's welcome back anytime he wants to visit!
U is for new umbrella's on the deck. A way to sit and relax without the rays of the sun beating down on you.
V is for veggies - fresh from the farm. There is nothing better. It's going to be a long winter!
W is for water in the basement. So. not. cool.
X is for x-rays. Four of them on my right foot. Diagnosis - Phalanx Toe (Proximal) Fracture, right foot. I also got a tetanus shot thrown in for good measure! It should be interesting, soccer starts up again this week and I am coaching my little guys again!
Y is for big yellow sunflowers, waving in the breeze.
Z is for zzzz which we'll need tonight. Tomorrow is our first day back to school, we'll need to be refreshed!
A is for ants. OMG the freaking ants.
B is for bee stings, ouch!
C is for colored hair. The girls really rocked their extensions this summer. It was well worth it!
D is for digging. I dug and installed a pond in the yard. Even before the landscaping was finished, it attracted frogs. Fun!
E is for exhausted girls. Hiking and swimming really wear you out!
F is for friends. Friends for picking blueberries, hiking and playing games, having water gun fights with and eating ice cream. For sleeping over at and watching concerts with. For swimming and going on rides with.
G is for giggly girls. No sound is sweeter.
H is for hiking, we logged in over 25 miles this summer! The girls did great and can now regularly endure 3-4 mile hikes.
I is for ice cream! We love ice cream. The girls figured out that the local place will give them a scoop of any flavor they want to try first. So each ice cream cone follows a spoonful. The good thing, they've tried (and lied) a bunch of new flavors!
J is for jumping rope and hula hoops. Little girls playing on the deck, rain or shine. It's also for jumping off docks! Einey was so proud to pass the swim test and to be allowed in the deep end, where she could happily jump off the docks all summer long.
K is for kicking soccer balls. We spent one week watching Meenie at soccer camps, kicking away.
L is for letterboxing. We found over 65 letterboxes, planted 18 and attended one event this summer.
M is for mulching the garden. Barefoot. See "x" below. Note to self - wear shoes when gardening!
N is for painted nails. Pink, green, blue. Sometimes alone or all at once.
O is for opening gifts at their un-birthday party.
P is for parties. We ended the summer this weekend with our third annual back to school bash.
Q is for quiet afternoons swimming at the lake. We spent many, many days up at the lake. The kids had a blast playing with the lifeguards and Einey LOVED being one of the few people allowed to swim in the deep end and jump off the docks (you need to pass a swim test first).
R is for rain. We had way more then normal this summer in New England!
S is for studying, studying, studying. Husband went back to school at work and while he's actually on a 7-3, 40 hour work week, so theoretically, should have more time at home, he doesn't. He may physically be home more, but his head is buried so far into the textbooks, a bomb could go off around him and he not notice.
T is for turtle. We enjoyed our summer with the school turtle - even if he tried to bogart my lattes - he swam in our pond while we cleaned out his cage. He's welcome back anytime he wants to visit!
U is for new umbrella's on the deck. A way to sit and relax without the rays of the sun beating down on you.
V is for veggies - fresh from the farm. There is nothing better. It's going to be a long winter!
W is for water in the basement. So. not. cool.
X is for x-rays. Four of them on my right foot. Diagnosis - Phalanx Toe (Proximal) Fracture, right foot. I also got a tetanus shot thrown in for good measure! It should be interesting, soccer starts up again this week and I am coaching my little guys again!
Y is for big yellow sunflowers, waving in the breeze.
Z is for zzzz which we'll need tonight. Tomorrow is our first day back to school, we'll need to be refreshed!
Monday, August 25, 2008
ABC's of summer
Now that summer is winding down and school is set to start soon, I thought I'd do a quick recap of our summer format "borrowed" from In the Trenches.
A is for alligator, to which there wasn't any in the lake, despite the fantization of the lifeguards.
B is for blueberries, freshly picked from the fields.
C is for cicada, which emerged in the backyard.
D is for dragonfly. Big, small, red, green, blue or orange. Zipping here and there, stopping to rest.
E is for earrings in six newly pierced ears.
F is for flowers.
G is for new green grass, in the new back yard.
H is for horses, which make parties more fun.
I is for ice cream.
J is for jungle gym, in the back yard. Flips and spins, imagination takes hold.
K is for kindness.
L is for Lyme Disease carried by deer ticks picked up by Meenie in the field picking strawberries.
M is for mud pies made by Moe with her friends the lifeguards.
N is for new tires on the van.
O is for Olympics, which occupied many nights.
P is for penicillin of which there were two. Two separate illnesses, two separate doctor's visits. One type of antibiotic.
Q is for quiet days by the lake.
R is for reptile. Snakes, toads, lizards and frogs. Those are among the things we caught. Little girls with a love of things slimy.
S is for swimming. We went swimming almost every day. If we weren't at the lake, we were at grandma's new pool!
T is for toads, living under a rock.
U is for umbrellas, which were needed in New England for the better part of August.
V is for visits from friends from far away.
W is for wishes on the first star of night.
X is for xtra long vacations with dad.Seven weeks total, and despite all the sickness, we had fun.
Y is for yesterday - our back to school bash, the perfect way to end the summer.
Z is for zzzzzz. Which is what we'll probably be doing that first morning of school.
I'm kicking myself because I did leave my camera home for many of our activities this summer. I opted to enjoy the enjoy the summer without the lens. We had a great summer despite the illnesses that besieged us. The girls were great, and kept the fighting and whining to a minimum. It was great seeing them work together and play together. And it was great seeing Meenie learn to swim (and enjoy doing so) this year.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Lazy Days of Summer...
Every day, I sit down and try to think of something to write, but come up blank. It's been a blah week - cool and rainy so we've kind of just hung out.
Last week, we spent a majority of the end of the week and weekend over at the girl's school cooking clamcakes and chowder for their annual bazaar fundraiser. It was fun, but nothing to write home about.
Monday I picked out my soccer team (Moe has a ton of our friends on our team!). And found out when my other girls would be playing. So with three girls playing, we have practice three nights a week (thats one night less and one girl more than the spring season). Monday we also tried to go to the EcoTarium. Only to get to Worcester and find out they are not open on Mondays. * Neither is Higgins Armory. Shit, shit and more shit. By this time, it's 12:30 and we didn't want to drive to Providence (Roger Williams) or Mystic (Aquarium). Husbands allergies were acting up so he didn't want to go to Davis Farm. Some quick thinking and I knew we could get to Southwick's if we hopped on 140 S to Milford and picked up 16 there. On the downside, it's pretty dang expensive to get into. And Einey complained the whole way there that it was stupid. On the flip side, we all (including Einey) had a blast. The highlight of the trip was (of course) the Discovery Center. The girls got to pet snakes, skinks, tortoises, a hedgehog, geckos and a baby kangaroo. One good thing that I noticed was that even though our plans changed and we weren't familiar with the roads, I was very relaxed. That's something that hasn't happened since before the panic attacks started.
Tuesday is a blank. I have no clue what we did. Tuesday I worked at switching my veggie garden weed field to a flower bed. I give up on veggies in the ground - out potted one's did much, much better, so that area will be all flowers now. Well flowers and strawberries. So I'm digging weeds, planting plants and spreading mulch. We'll see what it looks like next year.
Wednesday swim lessons were canceled, but I dropped Einey off at a friend's house. I took the other girls shopping for school supplies (we are almost done!). In the afternoon, we went to a playdate at another friend's house. It was nice to be able to sit and talk to friends and have the kids behave.
And that brings us to today. Today we had some friends over for lunch and to make tie-dyed shirts. It was nice enough while everyone was here to have it outside. They did the shirts and then played for awhile. The girls liked seeing some of their school friends. I intended to take pictures, but with all the kids and the dye, I was trying to make sure everyone stayed relatively clean!
So, nothing too exciting going on. Just enjoying the last few weeks of summer!
* And seriously, what is it with things being closed on Mondays? Is this just a New England thing?
Last week, we spent a majority of the end of the week and weekend over at the girl's school cooking clamcakes and chowder for their annual bazaar fundraiser. It was fun, but nothing to write home about.
Monday I picked out my soccer team (Moe has a ton of our friends on our team!). And found out when my other girls would be playing. So with three girls playing, we have practice three nights a week (thats one night less and one girl more than the spring season). Monday we also tried to go to the EcoTarium. Only to get to Worcester and find out they are not open on Mondays. * Neither is Higgins Armory. Shit, shit and more shit. By this time, it's 12:30 and we didn't want to drive to Providence (Roger Williams) or Mystic (Aquarium). Husbands allergies were acting up so he didn't want to go to Davis Farm. Some quick thinking and I knew we could get to Southwick's if we hopped on 140 S to Milford and picked up 16 there. On the downside, it's pretty dang expensive to get into. And Einey complained the whole way there that it was stupid. On the flip side, we all (including Einey) had a blast. The highlight of the trip was (of course) the Discovery Center. The girls got to pet snakes, skinks, tortoises, a hedgehog, geckos and a baby kangaroo. One good thing that I noticed was that even though our plans changed and we weren't familiar with the roads, I was very relaxed. That's something that hasn't happened since before the panic attacks started.
Wednesday swim lessons were canceled, but I dropped Einey off at a friend's house. I took the other girls shopping for school supplies (we are almost done!). In the afternoon, we went to a playdate at another friend's house. It was nice to be able to sit and talk to friends and have the kids behave.
And that brings us to today. Today we had some friends over for lunch and to make tie-dyed shirts. It was nice enough while everyone was here to have it outside. They did the shirts and then played for awhile. The girls liked seeing some of their school friends. I intended to take pictures, but with all the kids and the dye, I was trying to make sure everyone stayed relatively clean!
So, nothing too exciting going on. Just enjoying the last few weeks of summer!
* And seriously, what is it with things being closed on Mondays? Is this just a New England thing?
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Week one (the good, the bad and the ugly)
So far, this vacation hasn't quite been what we planned. We planned on getting some work around the house done (that parts working out) and doing some daytrips (that's not working out). Today marks day 8 out of 20.
Not only did we start off with two kids vomiting, I was sick for a day and then Moe started vomiting again. Then, we got a call yesterday from summer camp, saying one of the kids there this week has hand, foot and mouth. Last night, Einey spiked a fever. So far, it's just a fever and I hope it stays that way. Now, I'd rather deal with all three kids, myself and Husband having the stomach bug then having Hand, Foot, and Mouth again. Four years ago, when I was hugely pregnant, Einey caught H, F & M at a playgroup (8 out of 10 kids there caught it and it spread like wildfire through our MOMS Club). Husband also caught it and unlike what they say about it not affecting adults as severely, he had it bad. Much worse than I've ever seen. It was gross. Then two years ago, Meenie and Moe caught it (and I think Einey as well - apparently, against the myths once you catch it, you can't catch it again - there are different strands of it, so you can catch a different strand...). All was well. Until Meenie ended up hospitalized. Yeah not fun.
So here's what we've accomplished so far:
Things we wanted to do (or have left to do):
So looks like we've gotten most of the to-do items accomplished.
The good thing is, if we don't get to do some of the things we wanted to do this vacation, we've got another two weeks in August!
Not only did we start off with two kids vomiting, I was sick for a day and then Moe started vomiting again. Then, we got a call yesterday from summer camp, saying one of the kids there this week has hand, foot and mouth. Last night, Einey spiked a fever. So far, it's just a fever and I hope it stays that way. Now, I'd rather deal with all three kids, myself and Husband having the stomach bug then having Hand, Foot, and Mouth again. Four years ago, when I was hugely pregnant, Einey caught H, F & M at a playgroup (8 out of 10 kids there caught it and it spread like wildfire through our MOMS Club). Husband also caught it and unlike what they say about it not affecting adults as severely, he had it bad. Much worse than I've ever seen. It was gross. Then two years ago, Meenie and Moe caught it (and I think Einey as well - apparently, against the myths once you catch it, you can't catch it again - there are different strands of it, so you can catch a different strand...). All was well. Until Meenie ended up hospitalized. Yeah not fun.
So here's what we've accomplished so far:
- Sent the kids to summer camp
- Caught a stomach bug
- Finished sheetrocking the hallway
- Mudded the sheetrock (next stop - sanding - today probably)
- Planted some flowers
- Trimmed the bushes
- Pulled weeds from three flower gardens (just have the raised beds left)
- Exposed to Hand, Foot and Mouth
- Went to see Wall-E ($10 for all five of us!)
- Went to a kids concert (T-Bone) and had a picnic dinner
- Went letterboxing (found one out of the three we were searching for :( )
- Missed a wedding (see #3)
- Played lots of Wii Sport and Wii Play (as a family)
- Played a bunch of board games
- Repaired a screen door to the deck (thanks Mom!)
Things we wanted to do (or have left to do):
- Finish Pergola on deck
- Chip/mulch pile of brush
- Mulch gardens
- Powerwash the house
- blueberry picking
- Cape Cod
- Peabody Museam
- Boston Museam of Science
- Howe Caverns
- Make window stops (to hold the windows up - stupid old windows)
- Trim bushes back on edge of property
- mini golf
- bowling (and not the Wii variety)
- Meet friends for dinner
So looks like we've gotten most of the to-do items accomplished.
The good thing is, if we don't get to do some of the things we wanted to do this vacation, we've got another two weeks in August!
*******************************************************************************
A quick funny:
The other night while I was working on getting some plants into the ground and Husband was trimming the bushes (to which the neighbor told him "it's about time I see you out here working in the yard, I see your finally giving your wife a break - she's done a tremendous amount this year, heh) we told the girls to get their bathing suits on and they could use the sprinkler.
Meenie comes running up and asks :
(They were given bikini's as hand me downs and are only allowed to wear them at home).
The other night while I was working on getting some plants into the ground and Husband was trimming the bushes (to which the neighbor told him "it's about time I see you out here working in the yard, I see your finally giving your wife a break - she's done a tremendous amount this year, heh) we told the girls to get their bathing suits on and they could use the sprinkler.
Meenie comes running up and asks :
"Can I wear my zucchini?"
????????
"My pink polka dot zucchini?
Ahh, your bikini? If you can find it.
????????
"My pink polka dot zucchini?
Ahh, your bikini? If you can find it.
(They were given bikini's as hand me downs and are only allowed to wear them at home).
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Summer Camp Blues
Today was the first day of summer camp at school. The girls aren't going full week, but rather day here and there spread over two weeks - mainly so we can get some home improvement projects finished without them underfoot.
This morning started off with a few tears - all from Moe who wanted to go as well. Last week, she happily joined her sisters for a week (9 am - noon) at Vacation Bible School. And so she thought, she'd be allowed to attend school camp as well. Unfortunately, we didn't sign her up. And so all I heard was "I want to go to camp too. I'm a big girl now".
And then of course there was Einey. I packed there lunch together in a big cooler (I had to toss one lunch box this morning as it had started to grow some mold between the end of school and now - YUCK - and I couldn't find the other one). Einey saw what I was doing and then got crestfallen. "You mean, I have to sit next to HER for lunch?" Um yeah, sitting next to your sister at a camp where there are like 20 kids is a bad thing? Deal with it.
All in all, it seems to be going well.
As to what I got accomplished today - not a whole lot of anything. Moe and I ran some errands this morning, including stopping for Moe and Mommy's Coffee Break and cleaning out the old lizards cage (which a friend wanted to borrow for her frogs). Then we filled the bird feeders and Moe watered my plants. I did get some general stuff- laundry ect. finished) but still need to clean out my van.
Tomorrow - I am going to attempt to rescreen and rehang a door off the back door so when we leave the door open all day, bugs don't come in. The Dog ran through it when she was a puppy putting a large hole in it (she's seven now). When I went to Lowe's to inquire about a replacement door track, they looked at me like I had three heads and informed me their screens were replacements for sliding doors. Already installed. With the tracks already installed. Which we have. or had. The track is no longer there - it's old possibly shody construction. I think I have the track piece in the basement, so I need to figure out how to re attach it to the frame if I want a screen door. Or ask someone who knows something about it (I don't have much faith in those who work in Big Box Stores and Dole out information). Wish me luck!
Today - to the lake after I pick the girls up from camp.
Cross Posted at New England Mamas
This morning started off with a few tears - all from Moe who wanted to go as well. Last week, she happily joined her sisters for a week (9 am - noon) at Vacation Bible School. And so she thought, she'd be allowed to attend school camp as well. Unfortunately, we didn't sign her up. And so all I heard was "I want to go to camp too. I'm a big girl now".
And then of course there was Einey. I packed there lunch together in a big cooler (I had to toss one lunch box this morning as it had started to grow some mold between the end of school and now - YUCK - and I couldn't find the other one). Einey saw what I was doing and then got crestfallen. "You mean, I have to sit next to HER for lunch?" Um yeah, sitting next to your sister at a camp where there are like 20 kids is a bad thing? Deal with it.
All in all, it seems to be going well.
As to what I got accomplished today - not a whole lot of anything. Moe and I ran some errands this morning, including stopping for Moe and Mommy's Coffee Break and cleaning out the old lizards cage (which a friend wanted to borrow for her frogs). Then we filled the bird feeders and Moe watered my plants. I did get some general stuff- laundry ect. finished) but still need to clean out my van.
Tomorrow - I am going to attempt to rescreen and rehang a door off the back door so when we leave the door open all day, bugs don't come in. The Dog ran through it when she was a puppy putting a large hole in it (she's seven now). When I went to Lowe's to inquire about a replacement door track, they looked at me like I had three heads and informed me their screens were replacements for sliding doors. Already installed. With the tracks already installed. Which we have. or had. The track is no longer there - it's old possibly shody construction. I think I have the track piece in the basement, so I need to figure out how to re attach it to the frame if I want a screen door. Or ask someone who knows something about it (I don't have much faith in those who work in Big Box Stores and Dole out information). Wish me luck!
Today - to the lake after I pick the girls up from camp.
Cross Posted at New England Mamas
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Summer Fun - the low cost way!
Living in the state of "were going to keep raising gas prices and you can't do anything about it and oh you blinked, here's another $0.15cents - hahaha- fools" means more people are staying closer to home this summer and looking for low cost summer activities. Husband on the other hand, has finally gotten bitten by the travel bug (go figure!). So here are a few low cost ideas to get you through the summer.
Local Library - Our local library has a variety of summer programs, in addition to the summer reading programs. There are preschool story times (which I may take advantage of), craft days (which I've signed Eieny and Meenie up for. Hello Mommy and Moe morning coffee time! We've missed you!) and girl scout craft days - which you neither have to be a girl or a scout to attend. Only Einey meets the age limit though.
Swimming - We have several local lakes to swim at during the summer. Many are free, and aren't to far of a drive. We've brought the beach pass for the closest one though. not only is it real close, but it's also less crowded and is the only one which employs life guards.
Playground - When you have a brand new super cool fun for hours playground in town, what's not to like? The kids spend hours running around playing, can make themselves go on swings themselves now and love seeing which friends will be there that day. Call a friend to meet you there and it's an added bonus. The kids can play, the moms can sit in the shade of a tree and talk, all the while keeping an eye on the kids of course! Pack a lunch or a snack and water bottles to prolong the visit and get the most out of it. An extra special treat is after playing hard all morning - kids who don't nap may actually fall asleep in the afternoon!
Hiking - We've combined hiking with letterboxing (click the link below the post for more information) for endless summer fun! You can find our stamps all the way out to the Cape! The kids enjoy it, we enjoy hiking and it's easy to do. You can choose how long you want to be out in the woods. It's fun, cheap and educational! Just make sure you bring proper equipment - letterboxing stuff if your letterboxing, water bottles, insect repellent, sunscreen, and snacks like granola bars. Our hiking bag (always packed and ready for a moments notice) also has helmet lights (for looking into hard to see places and or course, if you get lost, a compass, and a whistle. We also always carry a cell phone at all times. You just never know!
Pick your own - This morning ,we took the girls to pick strawberries. We got just over 3 pounds for under $4.00! The kids had fun (unlike the last time we went to the crazy lady's farm). We definitely plan on going back - for more strawberries as well as Blueberries (which are ready from mid July through September!0. I even plan on freezing some so that the girls can have fresh blueberries in the dead of winter.
Summer Rec. offerings - Each year, our rec. department has a theme day. Two years ago - it was pirate day. Last year (and this year as well - due to part of the day being rained out last year) is cowboy day. They encourage the kids to dress up, send them on a scavenger hunt and give out prizes. Plus there are skits to watch, food to eat and games to play. All in all, it's a fun, cheap day!
Summer music series - Another activity we like is the evening summer music nights. Some nights are kids themed, others are not - but it's still fun to take them to Jazz night, or Celtic night. And nearby, they do river fire (not as big as Providence, but close by and the kids loved it)!. So I'm writing down dates now for local concert nights. It's always fun to pack a lunch and a blanket and let the kids enjoy themselves!
Throw a party! - Last year I threw a water party. I set up the sprinkler, put out trays of bubbles and huge buckets of water. There were relay races, there were water fights. We even dug for treasure from ice cubes! This years plans include a color party - tye-dying fun! - and an afternoon kids tea party. Eieny is planning her own pizza party. Unfortunately the date she picked, her best friends are both out of the state on vacation. Luckily, summer has just began!
Local Library - Our local library has a variety of summer programs, in addition to the summer reading programs. There are preschool story times (which I may take advantage of), craft days (which I've signed Eieny and Meenie up for. Hello Mommy and Moe morning coffee time! We've missed you!) and girl scout craft days - which you neither have to be a girl or a scout to attend. Only Einey meets the age limit though.
Swimming - We have several local lakes to swim at during the summer. Many are free, and aren't to far of a drive. We've brought the beach pass for the closest one though. not only is it real close, but it's also less crowded and is the only one which employs life guards.
Playground - When you have a brand new super cool fun for hours playground in town, what's not to like? The kids spend hours running around playing, can make themselves go on swings themselves now and love seeing which friends will be there that day. Call a friend to meet you there and it's an added bonus. The kids can play, the moms can sit in the shade of a tree and talk, all the while keeping an eye on the kids of course! Pack a lunch or a snack and water bottles to prolong the visit and get the most out of it. An extra special treat is after playing hard all morning - kids who don't nap may actually fall asleep in the afternoon!
Hiking - We've combined hiking with letterboxing (click the link below the post for more information) for endless summer fun! You can find our stamps all the way out to the Cape! The kids enjoy it, we enjoy hiking and it's easy to do. You can choose how long you want to be out in the woods. It's fun, cheap and educational! Just make sure you bring proper equipment - letterboxing stuff if your letterboxing, water bottles, insect repellent, sunscreen, and snacks like granola bars. Our hiking bag (always packed and ready for a moments notice) also has helmet lights (for looking into hard to see places and or course, if you get lost, a compass, and a whistle. We also always carry a cell phone at all times. You just never know!
Pick your own - This morning ,we took the girls to pick strawberries. We got just over 3 pounds for under $4.00! The kids had fun (unlike the last time we went to the crazy lady's farm). We definitely plan on going back - for more strawberries as well as Blueberries (which are ready from mid July through September!0. I even plan on freezing some so that the girls can have fresh blueberries in the dead of winter.
Summer Rec. offerings - Each year, our rec. department has a theme day. Two years ago - it was pirate day. Last year (and this year as well - due to part of the day being rained out last year) is cowboy day. They encourage the kids to dress up, send them on a scavenger hunt and give out prizes. Plus there are skits to watch, food to eat and games to play. All in all, it's a fun, cheap day!
Summer music series - Another activity we like is the evening summer music nights. Some nights are kids themed, others are not - but it's still fun to take them to Jazz night, or Celtic night. And nearby, they do river fire (not as big as Providence, but close by and the kids loved it)!. So I'm writing down dates now for local concert nights. It's always fun to pack a lunch and a blanket and let the kids enjoy themselves!
Throw a party! - Last year I threw a water party. I set up the sprinkler, put out trays of bubbles and huge buckets of water. There were relay races, there were water fights. We even dug for treasure from ice cubes! This years plans include a color party - tye-dying fun! - and an afternoon kids tea party. Eieny is planning her own pizza party. Unfortunately the date she picked, her best friends are both out of the state on vacation. Luckily, summer has just began!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Day trips
In addition to letterboxing, while Husband was on vacation the last two weeks, we shipped the girls off to VBS each morning for one week and they started swim lessons the next week.
We took two day trips, one to a semi-local zoo and the other to the aquarium.
The zoo is one I went to all the time when I was growing up. I have very fond memories and hope that the girls will too. They have (in the past few years) added a HUGE chimp exhibit, a large area for their big cats (Lions and Tigers and opening very soon - the African Panther) and added a mandrill exhibit. Husband chased the male mandrill around the perimeter of the cage trying to get a picture, that he started to snarl and bare his teeth at him. I remember growing up, the big cats were in very small cages in the center of the zoo. It wasn't fun to see them that way (yes I know, animals shouldn't be in cages). And of course, they still have the "Big Red Bat" which the girls get a kick out of, just like I did when I was a kid! The day we went, it was raining off and on all day. It worked out well as the majority of the zoo is tree lined so the tree canopy kept us dry. The nice thing about this zoo is it is in the middle of nowhere. It's a nice easy drive!
And bonus, there is a letterbox here which became our first out of state stamp!
The aquarium is the one we go to all the time. We actually brought their membership and can now go whenever we want. They just opened their "birds of the outback" exhibit where you can walk through and feed the birds. They weren't very hungry though because they have so many people feeding them all day long.
We took two day trips, one to a semi-local zoo and the other to the aquarium.
The zoo is one I went to all the time when I was growing up. I have very fond memories and hope that the girls will too. They have (in the past few years) added a HUGE chimp exhibit, a large area for their big cats (Lions and Tigers and opening very soon - the African Panther) and added a mandrill exhibit. Husband chased the male mandrill around the perimeter of the cage trying to get a picture, that he started to snarl and bare his teeth at him. I remember growing up, the big cats were in very small cages in the center of the zoo. It wasn't fun to see them that way (yes I know, animals shouldn't be in cages). And of course, they still have the "Big Red Bat" which the girls get a kick out of, just like I did when I was a kid! The day we went, it was raining off and on all day. It worked out well as the majority of the zoo is tree lined so the tree canopy kept us dry. The nice thing about this zoo is it is in the middle of nowhere. It's a nice easy drive!
And bonus, there is a letterbox here which became our first out of state stamp!
The aquarium is the one we go to all the time. We actually brought their membership and can now go whenever we want. They just opened their "birds of the outback" exhibit where you can walk through and feed the birds. They weren't very hungry though because they have so many people feeding them all day long.
Monday, June 11, 2007
So far, so good...
Thursday evening, the girls and I went outside for a bit. I wanted to water my flowers and adjust the stakes on the sunflower house. What ended up happening was the girls and I playing a ton of games I haven't played since I was their age. We played Duck, Duck Goose, Tag, Freeze Tag, Stuck in the Mud (another Tag game), Red Light, Green Light, Mother May I and Simon Says. It was great! I almost wished I had more kids so it would be even more fun!
Friday, summer vacation Day 2 was very nice, very nice indeed. Husband surprised me by taking the day off of work (for my birthday), getting up with the kids and making breakfast. We had though about going out to Newport, but by the time we got cleaned up and stuff, I decided I would rather grab a few letterboxing clues and see how many we could get. We only ended up having time for two different locations, but that netted us a total of 8 more stamps! Oddly, both location were in cemeteries, so I spent my 27th birthday traipsing around graveyards. But it was alot of fun! And very relaxing, quiet. The first cemetery had gravestones dating back to 1713! It was amazing to be surrounded by objects so old. And the details inscribed on the stones were amazing! Meenie managed to find every woodchuck hole in the cemetery as she walked around. I really thought the girls would have been bored, but they seemed to really enjoy themselves! After lunch, I was able to just sit and relax. My friend brought over a rose bush she brought for my birthday. It was perfect, I had one space in along my fence close to my other rose bushes and I was just saying to Husband that we needed to get something to put in that spot (we had tomatoes there last year - so I'll need a new space for them now). The girls (and Husband) brought me a GC to Old Navy, 5 books (unfortunately, I've already read 2 and am now working on Wicked - so much for summer reading) and an MP3 player (I am so sick of just listening to kids music - it's about time I had some adult lyrics to listen to! Now to figure out what I want to download. Feel free to post suggestions in the comments section.
Saturday was back to work for Husband. We got up and luckily, both girls had the early soccer games (usually they have different times so we are there forever). Even better was they were playing on adjacent fields, so I could stand on the grass between the fields. Even the drizzle didn't bother us. As the rain started to come down a little more heavily, I was enjoying watching them, Moe was carting around an umbrella much to big (I didn't take my camera out as it would have gotten much to wet) and the girls were enjoying playing. Unfortunately, the games came to an abrupt halt with the arrival of thunder. Those storms lasted 1/2 the morning! The rest of the day was just having fun in the house.
Sunday I actually got to take an hour long bath - alone! Moe played quietly in her crib and Einey and Meenie played quietly down stairs. No fighting, no arguing, nothing! We went to church and then stayed for their family fun day. We were there for almost 3 hours (wow!). The girls played games, bounced in the bounce house, dance and ate lots of food. They even tried to win a cake by doing a "cake walk" (musical chairs). They were given a cake anyway even though they didn't win. I was finally able to get them to leave and then we played outside for most of the rest of the day. The girls played their new games together and I worked in the garden. The sunflowers are now up to Moe's forehead and the other girls shoulders. Pretty soon, it will be high enough to make the roof!
Summer Vacation Days 2 -4:
Kids - Happy
Mom - Relaxed, Happy
House - Lived in, mostly clean
Edited to add pictures
Pomfret Street Cemetery and Cemetery on Rt. 44
Friday, summer vacation Day 2 was very nice, very nice indeed. Husband surprised me by taking the day off of work (for my birthday), getting up with the kids and making breakfast. We had though about going out to Newport, but by the time we got cleaned up and stuff, I decided I would rather grab a few letterboxing clues and see how many we could get. We only ended up having time for two different locations, but that netted us a total of 8 more stamps! Oddly, both location were in cemeteries, so I spent my 27th birthday traipsing around graveyards. But it was alot of fun! And very relaxing, quiet. The first cemetery had gravestones dating back to 1713! It was amazing to be surrounded by objects so old. And the details inscribed on the stones were amazing! Meenie managed to find every woodchuck hole in the cemetery as she walked around. I really thought the girls would have been bored, but they seemed to really enjoy themselves! After lunch, I was able to just sit and relax. My friend brought over a rose bush she brought for my birthday. It was perfect, I had one space in along my fence close to my other rose bushes and I was just saying to Husband that we needed to get something to put in that spot (we had tomatoes there last year - so I'll need a new space for them now). The girls (and Husband) brought me a GC to Old Navy, 5 books (unfortunately, I've already read 2 and am now working on Wicked - so much for summer reading) and an MP3 player (I am so sick of just listening to kids music - it's about time I had some adult lyrics to listen to! Now to figure out what I want to download. Feel free to post suggestions in the comments section.
Saturday was back to work for Husband. We got up and luckily, both girls had the early soccer games (usually they have different times so we are there forever). Even better was they were playing on adjacent fields, so I could stand on the grass between the fields. Even the drizzle didn't bother us. As the rain started to come down a little more heavily, I was enjoying watching them, Moe was carting around an umbrella much to big (I didn't take my camera out as it would have gotten much to wet) and the girls were enjoying playing. Unfortunately, the games came to an abrupt halt with the arrival of thunder. Those storms lasted 1/2 the morning! The rest of the day was just having fun in the house.
Sunday I actually got to take an hour long bath - alone! Moe played quietly in her crib and Einey and Meenie played quietly down stairs. No fighting, no arguing, nothing! We went to church and then stayed for their family fun day. We were there for almost 3 hours (wow!). The girls played games, bounced in the bounce house, dance and ate lots of food. They even tried to win a cake by doing a "cake walk" (musical chairs). They were given a cake anyway even though they didn't win. I was finally able to get them to leave and then we played outside for most of the rest of the day. The girls played their new games together and I worked in the garden. The sunflowers are now up to Moe's forehead and the other girls shoulders. Pretty soon, it will be high enough to make the roof!
Summer Vacation Days 2 -4:
Kids - Happy
Mom - Relaxed, Happy
House - Lived in, mostly clean
Edited to add pictures
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