Skip & Jump into Fall!

  

Mementos

   
        Jack found a piece of drift bamboo.  It was partially covered in small barnicles. When we got home the girls and I got started on a sea shell windchime.

Swimmers

    It seems we got a bit lost this summer!!

 The fun came upon us suddenly like waves crashing over us in a super and didn't stop! 

  

  Friends from near and far shared their time, homes and love with our family & we couldn't be more grateful!

The Beach

My childhood is filled with wonderful memories of playing at the beach in Oceanside. We swam, we played in sand. Later in life I learned to fish off of the pier there & have spent countless fun times with friends there. We took our entire family there last week. We were going to camp (because I have always wanted to try camping!) but at the last, we opted to stay at a total dive Motel (Beachwood Motel, Oceanside, 210 Surfrider Way, Oceanside, CA 92054) less than a mile from the beach. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but when we were escorted to a room with a kitchenette & I was given a fresh, delicious Babcock Peach as a gift from the owner; I told my husband, "We have to stay." We had a wonderful time & I dreamed of childhood summers when I slept in that motel room.

Let's Share!

Summer is a great opportunity to share. It is a fun time to fire up the barbecues & invite friends to swim, eat, and play. We share our homes & families as we create life long memories!

Setting a good example by sharing the luxury of a home is one way to introduce the concept to a small child. Another way is through this super cute book, Let's Share! (A Mind Your Manners! Story Book). We enjoy reading this book together & the illustrations are so fun! It even has a chart with reward stickers to keep track of sharing moments.
Sharing is so awesome. We can't wait to share our Summer fun!

Toy Boats

Introducing the science of power to a child is a challenge. "Why do it?" you may ask. It only takes a moment each day to introduce a complex concept to a child. Even if the learning result isn't immediately obvious, the seed has been planted and the idea introduced.

This week we are learning about wind. We sailed small toy boats in a kiddie pool. The cute little wooden boats were left over birthday party favors that I had ordered from http://www.thetoyboat.com/ . I had planned to put a large fan out there to keep the breeze moving the boats, but lucky for us the REAL wind kicked up. We played in the water & talked about the wind. It only lasted but 15 minutes, but the kids were still talking about it when I tucked them in.

International Flags

Sailing was the theme for my son Jack's 2nd birthday. I came up empty handed as I shopped for decor on-line, so we got creative! For the decorations the kiddos helped me construct International Code flags from construction paper. It was so fun & interesting too. Each square flag represents a different letter of the alphabet & the triangular shaped ones represent numbers. It was interesting for me to learn the designs of the different flags and their meanings, and fun to discuss it with the kids. They took an interest in learning their meanings which I thought was very cool. We taped the flags up on twine and strung them around the house. It really lent a summery, nautical air to the atmosphere!

We decided that the International Code flag decor would be very appropriate for ushering in our nautical theme for the summer, so we are leaving them up!

International Code Flag art courtesy of Donna Imgemansom