Date Night at the Botanical Gardens

Wonder Daddy suggested we take a hike this week on the night my parents come to play with the kids.  At the last minute we decided that strolling around the botanical gardens was just as good!  (I could tell he was trying not to cringe when his handy exercise app announced the completion of our first mile, in 58 minutes.  He's a runner, I'm a gardener :)

This week has been so gorgeous!

Take My Picture Mom!

Geocaching

Geocaching is like treasure hunting, but with a really good map.  Caches are hidden boxes or objects, and the GPS coordinates are logged in an official database.  With a GPS unit, like a smart phone, you can go searching for them!  When you find it you can sign the log book found with the box, and if you have trinkets to swap you can take a little treasure home with you.  We left a few coins, and the girls picked out a clam shell.  This cache is at a trail/park just about a block away.

Chore Chart

I have made a chore chart!

This is probably only exciting to me, since I've deliberated on design for years, and today finally decided to google "Washi tape chore chart," took a cursory glance at what popped up, and then did whatever I wanted to do.  

1) Type a list of chores in Word.  Size the font up to 18, format into two columns, and print.  I made multiples of things like "put away laundry" and "get dressed."

2) Trim paper around words, and mod podge onto wooden clothes pins.

3) I used a template and Sharpies to trace CHORES onto my canvas, and then decorated with Washi tape.  We all chose a ribbon design, and I sandwiched 12 inch lengths between the Washi tape I'd laid down and a new design.  

4) Push upholstery tacks into the frame of the canvas to better secure the ribbon.

Easy peasy, and finished during Cocoa's nap.

I've been on a cleaning binge/purging streak lately- a least half the kids' toys have either been put away for later, donated, listed in Craigslist, thrown away, or simply confiscated.  I cleared three garbage sacks of stuff from their bedroom floor the other day!  The books, I returned and Ernie organized the shelves again.  Clothes were bundled into the washing machine, and toys are in a bin in my room; they can each earn two  toys back every morning if their room and playroom are clean when they go to bed.  If they're not clean, everything I find out goes into my bin.  I'm going crazy, there HAS to be some order in this house!  Less stuff, so we can find what we want, and less stuff so we value what we have.

Big Band Sound!

My family performed at a dinner tonight for our senior citizens- is there a more fun audience to perform broadway and big band pieces for?  I think not.  My brother Bear is vocals, my husband is electric bass, and I'm on keyboard.  My sister, LoLo joined in for a duet on Cuando, Cuando, Cuando.

We were on between dance numbers from a local ballroom school- for these last three in our set, they came up to the floor to dance with whomever they could get out of their chairs!  Too, too much fun.  So glad we were invited to perform!

These three were our closer pieces- I'll upload the others as well, we all chose a few classic broadway pieces to open.



"Cuando, Cuando, Cuando"


Foggy Day


Feeling Good

Changeling

At dinner tonight I found out that the girls have given each of the light bulbs in our new fixture a My Little Pony name- correspondingly, the chair you choose is tied to a certain light and grants you that title. I heard them chattering about it, and when they dropped to a whisper I perked up. Apparently I was in chair of the dark, burnt out bulb. The evil Changeling Queen chair. Muahahaha.

A Bit of Sunshine

We enjoyed some amazing weather last week- in parting with Seattle's "40's/50's/60's and drizzling October-June" rule, Easter week saw temperatures in the 70's. MAN. I could get used to that.

Don't worry, it's gray and drizzly again today. With the season's yellow daffodils against the gray skies, we're looking quite stylish around here!

We hit our neighborhood beach Saturday afternoon with our cousins. We live blocks from a gorgeous lake, and I seem to forget that a lot of the time! We saw bald eagles, herons, and cormorants. Think there are a lot of fish to be had for munching??

The girls and I watercolor painted after school today- the assignment was to paint a tropical island, with an ocean/sky horizon. I think it's hilarious that Ernie managed to work a rainbow into her painting. Ever since I taught her the rainbow order of colors, everything in her life has revolved around that order. She loves order. Have we learned this yet?