He clearly owns this beach, baby.
Discovering The Space Shuttle October 23, 2007
How great it was to find out, albeit at the last minute, that there was going to be a shuttle lift off during our vacation?
When we found out, we spontaneously jumped in the car to make the coastal quest to experience this rare sight with our own eyes.
Standing along the side of the Challenger Memorial Coastal Highway, it nearly brought tears to my eyes to experience this fantastic show of human technology. Baz, on the other hand was a bit bummed, he thought we were going to be ON the “rocket”.
Pumpkins Galore and More September 27, 2007
We took the kids to get a pumpkin (we couldn’t find a pick your own apples that day) and boy did we have fun! So much fun, we went twice. We started off with just Mad, but the ninny I am forgot my camera.
By the time we made it back to get it Baz was up from his nap and never to turn down a trip to any farm, he was in for the ride back.
As you can see, there were quite a few pumpkins to choose from – and it’s still ONLY September.
Do you think that stopped Mad? No way josé.
The first one we carved has already turned into a massive pulp of mold in the composter, but I guess that’s why she was planning ahead, and chose this one to hold on to.
Mad was all around collecting pumpkins, asking questions and catching crickets – who can do that???
Everything was going just super…
Until she got busted by the owners for climbing the haystack.
But she got over it, as she usually does and she listened so much better for the rest of the day too.
Great day – and not just for the kids either. I found a new love of all things made of gourd.
As it turned out, the keepers of this fun farm were heirloom aficionados. There were about twenty varieties, some dating back to the 18th century France and beyond.
One of the many reasons I love autumn. Next is apples, I will find an orchard yet…
Bug Watching August 30, 2007
You’ve got summer. You’ve got kids. You’ll find bugs.
They’re everywhere so you might as well find the ones you can enjoy. That’s what we did and as luck would have it we found a cecada too!
A little lesson for both me and the kids but these fascinating bugs that we usually refer to as “electricity bugs” buzz in the heat of the hottest summer days reaching up to 100db just in order to find a girlfriend.
Yes, that’s my thumb. I was the brave one to pick up the giant, gentle and amazing insect. How amazing to think that this thing on my thumb is older than my toddler. With a little investigation, we realised that some cicadas live underground for years, only emerging in 13 or 17 YEAR cycles.
I kept the bug as long as it took to find a tree and for it to get comfortable to start moving. By then we were right beside our neighbours beautiful garden.
Spot the Monarch Butterfly, Baz did.
There have been a ton of monarchs this summer. The kids have loved watching them, occasionally up to six at a time fluttering over the same plant.
Onward and up, the sunflower’s at Ben’s house. I don’t think this bee moved from this perfect one the whole time we were there.
Did I mention I was very happy they discovered the flying variety of insects? Perhaps they inherited my dislike for the creepy crawly variety. All in all it was so fun and they really enjoy being outside.
Swan Gazing June 2, 2007
We are very fortunate to live right by the water. It steps us away from the bustle of the city and gives us no excuse to pass up a breezy evening stroll.
As it was, it seems we weren’t the only family down by the water. This time of year is just brimming with new life.
There is an abundance of nature, from pussy willows, robins eggs and signets.
All too often I get absorbed in elbows on the table, cleaning up messes and getting to school on time. Not only do we have this resource but using it as a reminder that just a trip to the park or a walk around the block, taking the time to walk slowly and look down is really fun for them… and me.
This parenting thing doesn’t have to be all work. I need to remember that.
The Welcome Home Party January 29, 2007
Daddy was coming home today!! Mad just didn’t know it yet, but she doesn’t need an excuse to party.
J has been away on business for the past couple of weeks or so and even though I saw him in Frisco, the kids haven’t at all so they were beginning to rely heavily on ichat.
This kid of mine is always ready to throw a party. Mad is excited. She knows he’s coming, just doesn’t know when – that’s the part that I was keeping a surprise for her.
It didn’t even snap when we went into the airport parking lot, or when she wrote out the signs that read “Welcome Home DAD!”. However, her cake was created with gusto though – it HAD to have sprinkles – and boy did Baz like them!
Bedtime Slideshow January 24, 2007
Bedtime just wouldn’t be in this house without a story. Both of our kids {thankfully} adore books so much they are part of play and routine.
Every so often though, Mad will use her great charm and graces to request a real story, like “one when you were a kid”, or something plucked out of the air. Now, I’m not quite sure if she really enjoys these stories or if she’s just trying to stay up a bit longer, but she seems to enjoy and certainly remembers them. So I figured, why not tell a story about when she was a kid?
And so it started.
We often take pictures throughout the day. Both of the kids like snapping whatever they see through the lens. It’s quite frankly why someone invented digital cameras, I think. I just have to quickly compile these pictures into a slide show, I use iview Mulitmedia Pro. It’s a great way to layout the day to visually recall everything that happened and to talk about what they thought was the most fun etc. Making memories the modern way.
We’ve done this before with trips to the zoo or up the CN Tower, but upon my recent visit to San Francisco and the lack of return by their father, this most recent story was SF, their Dad, but mostly the Sea Lions of Pier 39.
It was pretty well received. It was a nice way to bring them along and include them in the story of my weekend adventure and to have a quick “visit” with their Dad.
Funny Photobooth November 12, 2006
What better way to spend a cold rainy November afternoon than in front of a computer? Apple makes a silly application called Photo Booth that utilizes the built-in camera and allows you to take pictures of yourself. There’s a countdown, and the screen blinks to white to simulate a flash. That’s all good for a quick snapshot, but the real fun begins when you click on the Effects options. Fish-eye lenses, twists, bulges and pinches, and other strange distortions are an instant hit with kids of any age.
If you’re not an art director or designer you might not want to spend thousands of dollars to buy a computer that comes with this superfluous disctraction. However, any digital camera will do. To get some silly effects, find some silly mirrors. Everyone has a flat mirror, which can be used to create two-headed beasts and floating appendages. There are also concave bathroom mirrors which let you see every pore, and convex, fisheye mirrors for bicycles and cars. The shiny steel surface of a pot or a kettle can also be a source of inspiration.
Take these silly pictures to your local photo finisher (we Costco at pennies a print) by copying them from your computer onto a CD or a USB-keychain drive. Get a few prints made to frame and hang in the playroom. If there’s one thing I want my kids to remember about their childhood, it’s that they had fun with their dad once in a while.
