liz

oh lizzie, what am i gonna do with you? this kid, so different from her sister. i know you shouldnt compare kids, but emily has always been the kind of person you can just have a nice talk with and settle whatever needs to be settled. liz? you need to pull out your mr. rogers voice or make a game out of whatever it is to "trick" her in to doing what needs to be done. it goes against my natural parenting style (whatever THAT is) which is based on talking talking talking, over planning, over organizing rather than quick on your toes spontaneous put out the fire type parenting. here's what happens: liz needs to get dressed, you cant just TELL her to, you have to "shop" for the outfit with her, there has to be a fashion show, you have to "bribe and beg" when the outfit she chooses has holes and is the wrong size or looks a little "hookerish" (and you cant just toss things out, this kid has issues with specific clothes, toys and blankets) last you have to yell and theres a lot of yelling going on around here lately.i need to change up my game i think, but you still gotta love her! she keeps me on my toes for sure! happy wednesday!

whirlwind

my blog has definitely taken a back seat to this rummage sale (and facebook) but i am still here!! we are doing our guerilla art along the street

trying to spread the word, i feel a mad dash feeling with one week left to the sale, hope i can pull this off!

lizzies graduation was today, from pre kindergarten (preschool really) which made me tearful. emily went here first, this summer will be the last for liz, she is starting public school in the fall (can't say i will miss the tuition! but this was a very special place for both girls. if you are local i can let you know more about it!)

congrats liz! boy was she excited! but the day wasn't over, we still had her dance recital to go to:

at her preschool there is a dance school that teaches once a week. emily did this as well and it was such a great idea. you dont have to take your kid anywhere, they come to the school each week and teach. to me, it was the best kind of multi tasking! they run a swim school during the summer which incorporates the same idea, the kids are pulled from class each day for swimming lessons. this kind of thing isnt cheap, but there is zero hassle and i love the variety the girls get with different kinds of lessons. swim lessons are a must to me.

i forgot to mention the frantic friendship bracelet making we are up to, we will be selling these at the rummage sale and offering "lessons" and i have to admit this was HARD to learn. as crafty as people may think i am, if i cant learn something fast i usually lose interest. the problem is i COMMITTED to this project BEFORE i learned so i was stuck. this was actually a good thing because i am forcing myself to learn and i am finally getting the hang of it! i found a few books on it (one was in my daughters bookshelf, she remembered getting some kind of kit once) and this post was the original inspiration. here is another link too. i will leave you with this lovely chalk drawing:

chalk art on the sidewalk is working really well for us right now. its cheap, easy and the girls can really spread out. not as much bickering. we had a pretty rough day yesterday (an overscheduled day at the end of a busy week with a to-do list a mile long is not something i recommend) at one point i had a major meltdown but somehow we made it through and so far today is much better.

hiking

fun times

some cool guerilla art along the way



jacuzzi and dinner, soreness tomorrow, its all good.

day camp training

so today was my day camp training, getting ready for camp shiwaka. we have gone to camp in august two years now, but wanted to try a busier session in june this year. the tropical weather was interesting today, with mixed hot, cold, rain, humidity...crazy!

donut making, yum!



the girls get to chop wood this year and start fires, 4th grade is a big year for us. day camp will be very exciting with new challenges and responsibilities. after training we scoped out the tile wall at emily's school for inspiration for our own family tile


making our own tile for the elementary school tile wall

walking the hood with los cerritos wetlands rummage sale flyers... last on the list today. whew!

east coast weather

i loved living on the east coast and one of the reasons was the weather, yes the weather! i loved the tropical storms and humidity, loved it! today was one of those days here in southern california and actually all week has been quite tropical. lots of clouds and warm sun with sprinkles and thunderstorms. i remember this kind of weather in virginia right in the middle of summer, something you rarely see in so cal. i spent the day gazing at clouds and snapping pictures as i went. i let the girls hang a bit at lizzies preschool at pick up time to just play and it was so nice to not be rushing to another engagement. this preschool has been in our lives for 6 years now, two and half years with emily and three full years for liz. it is a fabulous place and today i felt a bit sappy that this wonderful school will soon be just a memory for us.

topanga hike

met up with my buddy maryann for a nice 4 hour hike, yikes! cant believe i made it, but i did!

this would make a lovely plein air painting, have to keep this one in mind when and if i get some free time to paint. so many fantastic paintings i want to do! i wanted to mention i made some vegan chocolate chip cookie sandwiches last weekend from this book and at first i wasnt sure if i liked them but they are really growing on me! i hope to make some more and i would like to try other recipes from the book. it has some strange ingredients but i am used to that kind of cooking. hopefully i can get some baked up for the rummage sale coming up! it would be nice to have a vegan choice on the table. today was a fun day but i know i will be sore tomorrow. gotta keep it up though.

Los Cerritos Wetlands Rummage Sale

working hard on this!

the block i was making yesterday, the goofed up one, will be for some new flyers i am making. if you are local, give me a call, i need you!!