end of summer fun

Well summer has finally come to a close and we wrapped it up with a slew of fun creative activities. I know that seems to be all i post about lately- but i am archiving this so if my kids ever try to pull the "you never doing anything fun" or "you're not cool" lines with me I can go back and show them that in august of 2007 I was a fun mom. The smart boys have been having a great time with liquid watercolors and Smart son learned how to do salt and sugar effects with paint. We did sunprint paper (the blue) simply lay objects on it in different sunlight - rinse under water and voila! cool positive/negtaive space project- special bonus points for people who can identify all the sunprinted objects! We did foam piece Dr. Seuss villages - my boys have always liked reading the the Lorax book and so we made these- you just use the foam pieces that when dipped in water stick to each other- just don't dip them in too much water or they turn to mush- right smart baby. Smart son discovered scratchboard- I totally loved his "sampler piece"- He divided it into all these sections and made all different patterns (one series he entitled pattern subtraction) and we made glurch (yes the borax and elmers glue one).

The saddest part of summer was sending smart son off for his first day of 1st grade! I totally miss him when he is gone- because as you can see we have a pretty good time together! I hope he has a great year! And to celebrate his first day we do our traditional snack treasure hunt- he comes home to a slew of clues and follows them to find his hidden after school snack!

more simple summer fun

Smart son asked me as I was throwing in a load of laundry if we were going anywhere today. I replied that I wasn't sure, but likely not. He shouted cheers of delight and said he loved staying home best of all. That made me feel good. I do try to have fun with my kids when they are home. I like our home to be a place they love to be. So in case you need more summer fun ideas...
sculptures- yes just get some wood pieces, glass marbles (dollar tree is great for this) and some wood glue- still washable but much better than elmers for bonding. Smart son did his on a scrap of masonite and painted his. Smart baby very systematically worked on his on a canvas board.

Colored cookies- so easy and fun. I should have taken the picture yesterday before we were left with only 3. Simply take sugar cookie dough roll the balls in colored sugar and bake. no sprinkle shaking mess- just cool colorful cookies-- We did them in pink, blue, yellow, green, orange.

Jumping raisins/or dancing spaghetti whichever you prefer. Cup 2/3 way filled with water, 2-3T vinegar, 1 t. baking soda and raisins or spaghetti pieces- my kids watched with rapt attention for 15 minutes while they bounced up and down.


Glowsticks- seriously I found a place that sells 15 skinny ones for 1$- They are the perfect light sabers, secret weapons, lights for under the bed forts, incentives for extra good clean up. They keep them occupied forever and all for less than 10 cents a piece!

summer 07- in and out

Okay now that I typed that title, I am seriously craving a good burger from in & out. Well summer is almost here-Smart son has just over a week left of school and it isn't officially summer until you are freed from the school calendar. But, Summer seems too short and it hasn't even begun. I have to take full advantage of opportunity for geographical freedom so we are packing the summer with fun trips. My mom, and my sister and her three kids are coming next weekend- it will be my sister's their first trip to see us, so we will have fun showing them some New England delights. Then i am taking the boys to Virginia for a while to relax and hang out and do a wedding (of course I will return with cake and flower pictures to show my work) . Then we return briefly only to head out on a family vacation to Utah to visit smart daddy-o's family, friends, and my MOFs. After that we recoup and enjoy a little time out home before heading to the beach in North Carolina for our final summer beach extravaganza (dreaming of the food at the blue point and walks along the beach already). We will be busy but when we are home, we will be home. Hanging out doing whatever we feel like doing- enjoying the blissful unstructuredness of summer vacation- going to park, going swimming, reading books, eating ice cream.

There is something about summer that just makes you feel different (and i think even look different)- it is a time for laying on the grass, drinking fresh lemonade, fireworks, sand, ice cream, fresh berries, kissing, playing in the water, air conditioning, and just letting yourself relax (I think I crave it so much because what i have just described is the antithesis of a new england winter). Oh course all this time, I likely be feeling not so hot (as i do usually from 4-11pm) and getting bigger by the day which may slightly tarnish enjoying the true summer experience- but even with all that I can't wait!