Friday

On Friday's we go to my friend Kathy's house. 

 

When Jake was a baby I belonged to a playgroup called Busy Bee's. There was a "difference in opinion" about child rearing and a group of us split off and became OC Playgroup. After a few months, I became the owner of the group and we met at my house each week at my house for almost two years. Then we started meeting at Kathy's house weekly and she took over ownership of the group. We are now finishing up our third year together!

Today was especially fun. It is so much cooler at her house than mine since she lives closer to the coast. Also, she has a backyard filled with water toys and a shaded pool. The kids run around and swim. We all eat lunch. They play some more. And all us Mom's get to talk our heads off and fight over who's kid is the cutest. I think we are truly blessed because we have all become such great friends and we love having new members come into the group and become great new friends. The kids all get a chance at sharing, even the little only child ones. And the older ones, like mine, get to try their hand a patience with little ones. It is a wonderful day for all of us. Except Kathy, who gets to clean up the mess. But I think she likes it! I know I always did. 

Cabrillo Aquarium

Puzzles at the Aquarium!

What a blast we had today! It has been about 95 degrees here all week. Totally not like this area at all at this time of year. Yuck! And humid too! So I was searching for something cheap and indoors and cool to do today. I just couldn't take another afternoon of this heat. So I thought we would drive down to the beach. I've been wanting to visit this aquarium for a long time.
 

We got there at 12:30 and it was 72 degrees! God bless it! It was beautiful! $7 to park. $10 donation to get in. $10 worth of plastic sea animals for the boys. It was a deal! We were there 3 hours. They have all the sea animals, eels, jelly fish, sea bass, all of it. Close up in tanks where you can see them. Lots to read about. Tide pools. And a new hands on room where they can dress up like sea creatures, see what it is like inside a fish tank, how water run off effects the ocean, where they raise baby fishes. It was awesome.
 

And there is a beach across the parking lot with a playground. The boys ran wild for a bit, then we headed home. We went over the Vincent Thomas bridge in San Pedro. Saw all the cargo ships, containers, trains, and trucks. 

It was a very good day! 

Oak Canyon Nature Center at the Library!

The boys and I have decided Wednesday will be Library Day for the rest of the summer! Last week we went and got some new books to read and signed up for the reading program at the Anaheim Central Library. Today we took our cards back for a sticker and a spin on the wheel. The boys each got a silly book marker and a card for a free kids meal at Hometown Buffett. Well the library doesn't know it, but you might as well have given them a ticket to Disneyland because they love that restaurant. Dad agreed to go there for dinner tonight, so they are thrilled. Also today, they have a thing called Imagination Celebration. Today they had the Oak Canyon Nature Center there with a bunch of small animals. They got to touch roaches, rats, toads, and snakes, so they pretty much have had the best day ever!

A Morning Alone

Ann took all three kids to the movies and out to lunch today. They left this morning at 10 AM. What have I been up to this morning, you ask? Well, I spent my time well. I have the laundry room clean (and I mean the cupboards inside and out, too) and most of the kitchen. The front of our fridge and the microwave looked like animals used it. The cupboards, the oven, the microwave, the walls, are all clean. And then I gave up for some lunch and a much needed shower.

 

It is now 2 PM and they should be home any minute. I totally expected them to be home earlier. They must be having a good time. Maybe I can get one more chore started?

The Beach

I left my comfort zone today and took the boys to the beach with our new homeschool group! I don't like the beach. Yucky sand, yucky water, yucky seagulls, yucky sun. I have to remind you that I am a red-head and I don't do well in the sun. But it was fun!

This beach had lots of tide pools. Jake LOVES the water and kept going down and running around in the waves. There were tons of great shells. Tom even walked down by where the waves were breaking, as long as I held his hand. We walked out on the rocks and a conservatory guy gave us a paper with all the animals on it.  
 

We saw shore crabs, hermit crabs, sea anemones, fish, and even a dead lobster! It was fun despite the grossness of it all. Tom and I were on the rocks and a big wave came in and flooded around our feet. He held tight but didn't freak and then realized that the water was not going to grab him and drag him out to sea.

I think he will have even more fun next time we go. Maybe he will even wear shorts and take off his tennis shoes!

A Wednesday

We went to the library today and picked up some new books. The boys signed up for the reading thing they have this summer. They were excited to see good prizes this year. Last year they were a little disappointed with the magnets and pencils they got. I think it was mostly because they had a super hero theme and they were expecting something else. The best thing was that I went to find books that I wanted while they searched on their own. Then I find them, not running around disrupting things like I expected, but Tom found a book and was reading it to his brother! The whole thing. And it was a pretty hard book. Too cute. I wish I had thought to get my camera out!

Then we stopped at Panera Bread and Bakery (because they had a free kids lunch coupon) and got us a picnic lunch and headed to Irvine Park. After our picnic we walked around a bit. Jake started getting whiny so we headed home. Sometimes it is very hard to figure that kid out. I thought he wanted to go the park!

Anyway, time to start the laundry...

School's Out!

Last Friday was Tom's last day of Kindergarten! His teacher held a small ceremony in her classroom with all the parents there. She brought each child up and told everyone some of their strengths and what they had accomplished while they were in her class. They all looked so proud of themselves! 

Tom was so calm and happy that day, I half expected him to change his mind about not going there for 1st grade. But as soon as the ceremony was over he said, "Let's go! I'm done!". Honestly, when he is at school he is like a stretched rubber band. He is always on the alert for what he is supposed to do and what everyone else is doing. He is constantly wondering what is going to happen next. And when he comes home after school, he is still stressed about what will happen the next day. Who will take me to school? Will there be traffic? Will I get there in time? Do I like my lunch? Do I have time to go the bathroom? What snack will I have at recess? Do I have a pencil? What should I write during journal time? Where do I sit lunch? When can I go out for recess? Is Mom going to get here in time to take me home? Not to mention...Will there be a fire drill? An earthquake? A real fire?

In only three days, he has relaxed a bit, just realizing that he doesn't have to go back to that building. He cried once because he likes learning, he said, and he doesn't want to miss math! And he likes his friends, too. But yesterday when we went to park day for our new group, he saw there were older boys there and that sealed it for him. He loves having older kids around. This will be so good for all of us!

Finished "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards"

I just finished this book too. I told you I was a voracious reader!
 

It is by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D. and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D.

The book debunks all the hype about getting your kids to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic at a very early age. A great book to give new or soon to be parents for sure! The only thing I didn't like was that they kept giving credit to "evolution" and "nature" to things that babies and young children do instinctively. I would rather that they credit God, but that is my personal opinion.

Towards the end they tout child care and how to pick a good one, which I'm sure some people really need. I personally would rather children (especially very small ones) stay with their mommies. But I guess not everyone can do that.

Read it, it is very good! It even gives you ways to help your kids learn or test their knowledge on things. Very cool.

Ditching & The Talent Show

This morning Tom was still sleeping at 7am and we need to leave for school at 7:15. I'm not one for waking a sleeping child, so we ditched. We went to our friend Kathy's house instead. The kids all played in the pool for a couple hours and I got to talk to some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Then we came home, had lunch, and went to the library. 

Tonight is the school's Talent Show, which Tom is in. He is tap dancing with some of his kindergarten friends who also took the class at school. It is sure to be very cute!

That was some pretty nice tap dancing, kid! And he's not bad looker either!