I lathered my son in soap, as he was in the bath, rinsed him down, then reached for the shampoo. A normal occurrence for every mom, I'm sure, until he asks what shampoo is made of! "Umm, soap and some other stuff" is my lame answer. "What's in soap?" he asks. Now I feel really stupid! I don't know, I've never really thought about it. I do read … [Read more...]
Fun learning outdoors this week!
We've had such a fun "school" week outdoors! We went to Harvey West Park, I don't get over there very often and forget how beautiful it is! I should know, it's where I got married after all! We went to play with friends at the playground, but as the nature lovers we are, were drawn into the forest. We walked along a path and found a little stream, … [Read more...]
Local Treasures! Great Fields Trips Right Here in Santa Cruz County
Great Field Trips or just day trips to take with the family and you don't have to go very far! With the weather so nice it's hard to stay indoors! So I don't! These are some of the wonderful field trips I've had the pleasure of experiencing with my kids in the last few months. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place that has so … [Read more...]
Me? Homeschool my kids? Are you crazy?!
I never thought in my life I would be homeschooling my kids! I thought it was only for extremely religious people or people who wanted complete control over their kids. And now here I am a homeschooling mom! Why do I do it? Lots of reasons, but these are the top few: I am more interested in my kids being happy, caring, productive members of … [Read more...]
Lord of the Flies at the Park- Stop the bullies or let boys be boys?
artist Greg Capullo It's difficult to know when to intervene, and when to let our kids deal with conflict on their own. We were at the park with a ton of friends today. My five year old son was thrilled and couldn't wait to get there! We were running late as usual and, by the time we arrived, there was literally a pack of at least ten boys … [Read more...]
Work, Art, Family, Kids, Education..How to fit it all together
I finally have a computer that works (pause for happy dance & screaming, Joy Joy Joy!!), so I am hoping I can keep up my new found motivation to stay up to date! Someday maybe I'll even have a phone or device to upload pics & blog instantly to truly be in the 21st century with you! For now, there are more important things. I've been … [Read more...]
What a Spring!
Well it went from freezing, to rainy, to super hot! What a spring! But I'm loving it! I've always been a sun lover. My kids and I have been outside as much as possible. We planted our garden, took swim lessons the last two months at Simpkins Swim Center, which is awesome! My son improved so much! And I got to swim with the baby while my son … [Read more...]
Cold, Cold, Cold! And How to Teach a Preschooler to Give?
It's not supposed to be this cold on the California coast! It even snowed the other day! I was enjoying the 80 degree weather at the beach just 2 months ago and now I'm bundled up in layers! And so much for the bunnies I kept saying I was going to make. I did get two done, but since my kids have been passing the same cold back and forth and … [Read more...]
Baby’s First Sandcastle
This is from our afternoon at the beach yesterday. My baby girl checking out her first sandcastle! Made courtesy of her daddy. She very gently felt the top of it & slowly demolished it. I was suprised she didn't try to eat the sand. My son made her a second one so she wouldn't be without. He's such a good big brother! He really takes care of … [Read more...]
To Toss or Not to Toss? What to do with a Ripped Poster
My son ripped the corner of a poster that was on his wall in his Mickey Mouse themed bedroom while jumping on the bed, which he's not supposed to be doing! But instead of throwing it out, I had the idea to modpodge it onto a blank canvas. With my son's help, we centered the part we wanted to see on the canvas and cut around it wide enough to … [Read more...]