Project 52 -- Week 17

We visited the super rad Land of Nod tour bus last weekend and between the excitement of that and the giant scoops of Pop's ice cream, these two were hopped up and running rampant through the streets of Alexandria. 

Spring + Summer Sensory Play

As you might have noticed in our water balloon art post last week, when the weather gets warm, we like to get outside and make big messes! And that includes some really cool sensory fun. As the temps start to rise, our freezer starts to fill up with all kinds of random, and totally inedible, concoctions. Try 'em!

1 / My kids are going to lose it over this erupting ice sidewalk chalk.

2 / Frozen baking soda dough? Sounds awesome.

3 / Water beads do very funny things in the freezer.

4 / Goop + ice. Yesssss.

5 / This frozen playdough was a huge hit last summer!

Weekend Makes

Sorry for missing last week's Weekend Makes -- it's been a little hectic around here lately and I dare say we are realllllly looking forward to summer. To cutting back on scheduled activities, wrapping up work projects, welcoming the warm weather. Yes, yes. We know spring has just arrived, but we've already gotten started on our annual Summer Bucket List (click here and here for past year's lists!). To help you get in the mood, we've rounded up some fun ideas to make your own. And keep your eyes peeled, we'll have our 2015 list up in a few weeks!

1 the kids would love this clothes-pin set up!  / 2  I think a Summer Bucket List garland using these adorable printables would be fab / 3 a super simple list for those looking to keep it low key / 4 we loved making mini pinatas last year and this watermelon one would be super cute to hold slips of paper with our summer ideas. we'd obviously take them out carefully! / 5 a bright easy solution that the kids could help make

Project 52 -- Week 16

The warm weather is here and that means it's geocache season! The kids have been asking to go geocaching for the past several weeks, but we finally just got out there. We found both caches we tracked, and pretty quickly at that. We decided it meant immediate "good geocaching juju." Then Kane tried to convince me that we could count these first two against the total number we plan on for our summer bucket list. Hmmmmm ....

Water Balloon Art

I just came across some photos of an art project we did last summer and thought, given the warmer weather out here, it was the perfect time to share it: Water Balloon Art. Part art, part game, my kids loved launching water balloons filled with paint onto an enormous canvas outdoors. I just wish I hadn't watered down the paint quite so much, but now I know for next time -- I think we'll try some brighter liquid watercolors this go around. Take advantage of spring and get outside to art!

Watermelon Chia Agua Fresca

The warm weather has finally arrived in D.C. and we've been dreaming up activities in anticipation of summer! High up on the kids' list is a "fancy" drink stand, complete with special lemonade and a selection of agua frescas (a deliciously thrist-quenching Mexican drink we often purchase from our local farmer's market). To get ready, we've been trying out several different recipes and I think we found a hit: Watermelon Chia Agua Fresca!

Kids Food Face Collages

Looking for a fun, silly project to do with the kids? Let them see that they are what they eat with our Kids Face Food Collages! Head over to Honest to Nod to check out the project.

Project 52 -- Week 15

We tried to spend part of this past weekend taking care of things that actually needed taking care of. Joel needed new shoes, so we took these two yahoos with us for a little shopping. Despite their stellar behavior when shopping for themselves, they were incapable of reining it in for the fifteen minutes we needed. Shenanigans abound in this photo.

A Day in the Life (April 2015)

April 12th was the second day of the most glorious weather we've seen in forever. So, naturally, everything I had planned (including this month's 12-in-12) completely went out the window. I ended up taking the photos on Monday the 13th, which was also a beautiful day. Check out what we were up to and then see what Where the Watermelons Grow was doing this month!

6.55 a.m. -- after an extended discussion of why she couldn't wear a fancy dress to school on Monday, Cam agrees to pick out another outfit.

Weekend Makes

Despite the drop in temps around these parts this week, it is indeed spring. The air smells different, the sun is sticking around longer in the evening, and, all over the city, little flowers are unfurling from the ground (and, if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that my new-to-our-more-residential-neighborhood children are plucking them from said ground). I'm actually not a huge flower person, but I love that they signify the start of warmer weather on the East Coast (and I'll take them from my sweet children any day, even when picked with poor manners). So, this Weekend Makes is dedicated to the flower.

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Project 52 -- Week 14

We've been making an effort to make more time for after-school activities and reviving many of our favorites. These two will play with water beads for hours and were super excited to have warm enough weather to do so outside. This organized exploratory play quickly gave way to a full-on, but very friendly, water bead fight. Often these days they are either playing or fighting, but rarely play fighting. So, as I listened to shrieks of laughter and delight, I tried not to think about the ginormous mess they were making and let them just have fun.

Marbled Glitter Playdough

It's Cam's turn for spring break this week! And while I do love getting some one-on-one time with my best gal, after already having Kane's (and her premature first go at) spring break, I'm behind on work, life, etc. So obviously it's a perfect time for her to go through a phase requiring someone to do absolutely everything with her. Needless to say, I was on the lookout for an activity that would be a good balance of mom involvement and Cami-indpendent time.

DIY Toy Soap

Now that we finally have some real storage in our house, we've been able to start moving in things we've had stowed away for years (which makes our parents, who've been the lucky trustees of all random sorts, very happy). Recently, Nona brought down a storage crate full of some of my candle-making supplies. They've been stored at her house, not coincidentally, for the last 6 years. Back in the day, I used to LOVE making and gifting candles. The kids were very intrigued, but I figured before we dove in to mixing up boiling vats of wax, I'd start them out on something a little easier: glycerin soap!

Weekend Makes

It's a big holiday weekend coming up, but since we hit up Easter in our last Weekend Makes, this round is all about Passover. They're fun makes, even if you don't celebrate the holiday. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Project 52 -- Week 13

Cam had a wonderful Passover Seder at school this week and Kane got to hop out of class early to come along. Of course it was a great excuse for both to dress up! These days they both get a Chandler-esque cheese smile on as soon as they see the camera. We're working on it ....