Staycation Day #4

Day #4 already!

The thing about a staycation is there is no hotel maid.  Bummer!  So before we opened the first envelope, we had a fast family pick up.  We basically ran around the house and put things where they needed to go.  With the three of us (me, Mc, and Everest) it only took about 20 minutes for this small cozy place.  We made beds, emptied the dishwasher, filled it back up, swept the floor, picked up toys, etc.  Viola! 

While I was busy folding laundry, McKinley was busy in my room.  I went in and found that she had made my bed and left me this note:

Made me cry!


Here's envelope #1:
Lazy Morning!  Let's play Wii, read, build Legos, draw, watch Netflix, spend Itunes giftcards! 
It's hard to believe we need to actually set aside time to do these things.  But with the demands of school (yes, even elementary school), piano, church, and sports activities we barely have time to just "play".  And don't get me started on how long it takes for me to figure out Itunes.... I could never have time for that if it weren't Spring Break!

Lazy morning was a big hit.  McKinley and I figured out her Itunes, and she spent $35 on Justin Beiber songs.  Everest played Wii to his heart's content, and Hagen had a nice nap. 

Envelope #2:

Let's go to the Movies! 

Wimpy Kid 2 was playing just a block away.  We walked down and met our friends there at 1:25 for an afternoon showing.  I took my chances and brought the baby along.  I filled his snack cup with chocolate goldfish and we were set!  The ticket guy did say I could get my money back if we had to leave early.  But we didn't have to leave, in fact, Hagen did remarkably well, and even fell asleep.  I only missed the last 7 minutes or so of the movie. Once the baby discovered he could get out of the stroller and run around, I decided to take him into the lobby to play.

It was a great movie.  The kids loved it, and had fun watching it from the very front row.  The theatre was pretty much empty, but that's where they wanted to sit.  I love watching my kids watch movies.  I love seeing what makes them laugh, and to see which jokes they get, and which ones go over their heads.  Good times!

We ended the day playing with friends and having dinner together at their house.  By the end of the night Hagen was begging at the door to go home so he could go to bed.  The big kids and I watched American Idol results and waited for Daddy to get home from his overnight business trip.

Another perfect day!

Staycation Day #3

Todays activities really stem off of the idea of taking time to do the things we usually do not do.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to Chuck E Cheese's in the 10 years that I have been a parent.  That includes other's birthday parties too!  I just don't care for the place.  The pizza has a lot to be desired, it is usually crowded and I can't keep track of my kids, and the ever dreaded "store" at the end where the kids get to redeem their tickets.  Well, today was different...

Activity #1:  Chuck E. Cheese!

The kids were glowing with excitement!  I have a feeling McKinley is not going to be too thrilled to be included in this type of activity for much longer as she enters her "tweens", so I was happy she wanted to go.


Our timing was perfect.  We showed up at 10 am and ordered our pizza.  I had a coupon for a large pizza, four drinks, and 50 tokens for $19.99.  Who can beat that?  We didn't need a large pizza, or four drinks, but anything less would have cost more.

We pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Chuck E. himself came out and threw tickets in the air for the kids to catch after they danced to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".  Everest ran in horror, and McKinley stuck with it despite the embarrassment so she could catch some tickets.  Hagen clung to me for dear life as if he didn't know why anyone would dress in such a crazy suit.

We left at noon when the crowds started to swarm in. We all had smiles on our faces, and the kids had their hands full of plastic trash, umm I mean toys to play with.  Hagen fell asleep in the car within minutes.  I'd say it was a hit!



I always love getting my Family Fun magazine (also a Christmas gift).  I flip through the pages and wish I had the time to do some of the crafts with my kids.  Well that's what this staycation is all about, so that's where I got the idea for...

Activity #2:  Let's make miniture furniture out of egg cartons.

I will show the pictures of what we made so far, but this is obviously a work in progress (which makes it all the more fun). 

Colorful Couch

Rainbow Chair, Lamp, and Book

Justin Beiber's Bedroom.

Twin Bed, Desk, Lamp, and Chairs

This project reminded me of when I was younger I would make my own Barbie furniture out of Kleenex boxes.  I just love the idea of showing the kids how to make things out of items we have around the house.  It is a wonderful feeling to be a "re-user" rather than just a "consumer".  And how refresing it was to use the creative parts of our brains!


McKinley and I got so into this that we started creating our own furniture pieces, not just what was in the magazine.  We plan to make the house to put the furniture in too.  Check out this link from Family Fun where we got the idea:

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/carton-furniture-workshop-1001221/

I have to admit, Hagen and Everest were not as thrilled with this activity as they were with Chuck E. Cheese.  Here's what Hagen did instead...

And Everest spent the afternoon playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii.  But that's okay because this is Spring Break!

We worked well into the evening on the furniture then ended the night with brownie sundaes and American Idol.  Another perfect day!

Staycation Day #2

One of my favorite Christmas presents this past year was a gingerbread house and gingerbread man kit.  It came with a note telling us to enjoy making them together as a family.  Well, we had every intention of doing so, but the business of the Christmas Season took over, and we never had the chance to make them.  That's where I got the idea for:

Envelope #1:  Let's make a gingerbread house and gingerbread man and decorate them for Easter!

Happy Easter!

Boy were the kids excited!  And how fun to be able to spend time making them without feeling rushed or pressured for time.  I think this will be a lasting memory for them!

Envelope #2:  Beach Bike Ride with Daddy!  We will eat dinner somewhere along the way, and then go get some Cold Stone for dessert.

Getting the bikes ready is half the fun, right?

Hagen was unhappy with his helmet, but he was happy once we started moving!

Gotta love patio seating!

What a fun afternoon!  We ended up riding a full 14 miles on our bikes.  We started at Torrance Beach and rode all the way to Dockweiler Beach near LAX.  We stopped at Ruby's in Redondo and ate dinner on the patio.  It was great because we were the only diners there, and Hagen was able to run around while we ate.  To our surprise, when the bill came we discovered that KIDS EAT FREE!  When they asked if we needed parking validation, we proudly told them, "no, we rode our bikes."  Later at home Mark took the kids to get our Cold Stone ice cream.  The night ended with a family game of cards and some laughs.  It was a perfect day!

Free slideshow made with Smilebox

Our Spring Staycation Day #1

We are staying home this Spring Break, and Daddy has to work most days, so we are having our first ever "Staycation!" 

At first I was a little nervous about the whole thing.  But then I decided to make the most of it and use this time to do all those things we never have time for because of homework, activities, or because we are traveling! 

Twice a day the kids will open an envelope to see what fun activity we will enjoy together.

Perhaps the best part of all is I get to Blog again, which I completely had to give up once Hagen started walking.  Well, this week I have two built in babysitters, so I will have a few minutes here and there to type.  Hooray!  On second thought, I'm going to have to make this more of a picture diary of our week....

Activity #1: Let's hike down to Trump Beach and search for rocks.  Pick some nice, flat, round ones to use for our afternoon activity.

Ready to hike down to the beach for some rock hunting!

Hagen with a rock pebble mustache.

Who needs blocks when you have a pile of rocks?



What's a vacation without Jack in the BOX and a slurpee!

 Activity inside envelope #2: Now let's paint the rocks we found!

Back at home on the patio painting our rocks.

It's as if each rock was meant to be something different!

Our masterpieces!

Mommy painted this one...




 


McKinley's hamburger with cheese, lettuce, and pickles followed by her  fried egg.



Here is Everest's very cool ladybug.



The day ended with soccer practice for McKinley and a baseball game for Everest.  At the completion of Day #1, I have to say we were all very tired and very happy.  The kids went to be talking about what might be in tomorrow's envelope!

Chamois Lambie by Pottery Barn Kids

Extreme Room Make-Over

For McKinley's 10th Birthday, we decided to surprise her by giving her her own room back.  That meant saying good-bye to my sweet baby's nursery. 

We surprised her after school the day before her birthday.  The look on her face was priceless!

The orange jersey knit peace bedding compliments the slate blue wall.

Gotta have a place to hang the Justin Bieber photos!

She is so happy to have a place to hang out with her BFFs!

Now if Hagen would only sleep through the night so that Everest can get some sleep!

Happy 10th Birthday McKinley!

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl.  I'll never forget the day you made me a Mommy!