Taking Care of Business

Though we had a lot of business to take care of on the last few official days of summer, we managed to squeeze in some fun between the business.

The Night Zoo!

The weather at night has been perfect so it would have been a shame to go the whole summer without a visit to the San Diego Zoo at night!

Not-so-much-work Work Day!

Of course in preparation for the upcoming school year, I had to put a little time in at work getting my classroom ready... the girls were so excited to help me...but of course their primary objective was to play on the big kid playground right outside mom's classroom.

...but of course for me it's hard to work too long on a day your not getting paid, so after about a hour the girls and I headed off to the beach for one last lazy summer day in the waves!

It was a great day with just the girls and me.

Preschool Orientation!

The last bit of business we had to take care of this week was a big one for me- Preschool Orientation! At this orientation the girls got to see their classroom, meet their teacher (Ms. Eliza), decorate their name tag, and take a tour of their school. The girls are excited yet a tad reserved about this new endeavour, but I think they are so fortunate to have each other for support when they take on new experiences like these. I will say that I left feeling so comfortable and satisfied with Tony and my choice in preschools and I am really looking forward to helping Lola and Ellie start their school experience. I know it's a little step for them, but it's a big step for my heart. No tears were shed this day but I bet there will be a few rolling down my cheek as I walk to my car after dropping them off their first day of preschool on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.  

(Yes, I asked Ms. Eliza, their preschool teacher, if other kids will have their blankie with them like Lola and she said OH YES many...good thing because Lola has already planned on taking it with her. And Ellie is beyond herself with excitement that the playground at their preschool is called "The Shark Tank" complete with a a shark hanging on the fence- and we all know how much Ellie loves sharks)

It's back to the daily grind for me as well on Tuesday- but as you know that doesn't stop us from having fun! We welcome fall and football season with open arms, but not before we head to Coronado for our annual Mezzadri family beach trip next weekend- one last hurrah of Summer 2012.

zucchini pizza

zucchini really grows like weeds.

one day there's nothing. the next day it looks like this...

i love zucchini and have been on a mission to find new recipes for it. i had seen this idea somewhere and recreated it myself.

first, i sliced the zucchini about 1/2 inch thick and cooked it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

next, i pulled it out of the oven and topped it with my homemade Italian sausage pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.

i baked it in the oven for 10 more minutes...bubbly cheesy goodness.   my entire family loved it!

Fathers Day Eating

 Early Play Australia have a great round up of children inspired Blogs, I highly recommend you pop in for some inspiration. Recently they inspired me with a link to my Blog on the lemon letter biscuits that I made in August last year. So hear they are again, made into a message for dad for Fathers Day.

 

 

 And here's a new take on egg in a hole. A Fathers Day breakfast idea.

Making the perfect mud pie...

On our last night here in Manistee, we all gathered in the back yard for food, drinks, the campfire and some good ol' fashioned mud making !

Little T and Little O seemed to perfect the art, but making some mess in the process :

First : add dirt

Then : add water

Next : mix well

Adjust to taste

Hit hard on bottom of bowl to eject mud pie

Et voila !

Eric Carle inspired art

one of my favorite things to do is to look at different artist's techniques and use their techniques to create our own work of art. i love any of Eric Carle's books. he creates different textures using paint and tissue paper. my little lady and i watched these slideshows, so that she would get a feel for the type of artwork we would be creating.

we spent time painting different pieces of paper and creating different textures.  we use bubble wrap, different brushes, sponges, scrapers, etc. to create those different textures.

we used acrylic paint and paper for this. we were going to use tissue paper like Eric Carle, but it was a bit too hard for my little lady to paint on.

the laundry room became our drying room.

the next day, we started making our pictures. no rules or limitations, just create something.

here's our finished art.

Father and Daughter

 

Big enough to do up Mr Bowerbird's cuff-links, only a few centimetres before she reaches passes me. Out for a special night with daddy, to her cousin's Debutante Ball, I thought she'd enjoy it more than me. We curled her hair for a change and she was very gracious about wearing a summer dress with a top underneath from her wardrobe, we somehow missed the window to go looking for something new, but it really didn't matter.

I was once a debutante, but I am really not into the whole concept, so ... well silly really. Introducing a young lady into society - where was she before then?  A rite of passage, tradition, an excuse for a good night out...I guess that was what drew me in, that and the fear that I may be missing out on something.

The Big Bowerbird stayed up until midnight dancing and eating sticky date pudding, that smile was even bigger when she finally returned home. Those one on one times with a parent on their own are so special , for the kids and their parents. Before I know it she will be out until midnight on her own, that's a hard thought to swallow. Afraid I may be a bit of a helicopter at that stage.