the end and the beginning

I just dropped William off for his last day of 1st grade. This is exciting because I have been wanting school to be over for awhile now. I got this idea from a friend on instgram, there are chocolate covered strawberries in those bags.

The colanders were $1.99 at Cost Plus World Market! And, yes, William has 4 teachers.

William is pretty excited, William is also sunburned. He had a swimming field trip yesterday and swears they put sunscreen on him, but this is what happens when he is out there all day.  So today is my last day to prep for summer vacation. It requires prep because as the school year goes on I think of things I want to work on with the kids but with school there just isn't time. Summer vacation is the perfect time for this, but last summer I wasn't ready for it when it came. We didn't have a good routine and it was over before I knew it. We need a plan.

I wrote this up one day while I was looking at pinterest and making plans. I showed it to William and he was pumped (this was my attempt to make cleaning the house and eating healthier seem like fun). I don't want them to spend the whole summer watching movies. What I need to add there at the bottom all fat and huge is, "good attitude". We do all these things pretty well, but not without a heaping dose of attitude to go a long with it.

William made this chart...and then later scribbled on it and crumpled it up when he was mad at me (see what I mean? Attitude). Anyway it is his chart for earning the "Best Summer Ever!!!" When he and Gracie would do something he thought was good he would give them more points. While the math doesn't exactly add up, I do think we deserve to have the BEST SUMMER EVER!!!

Here are some of the plans:

constellation jars

and maybe let them build a fort and sleep in it with this in the room. like camping, but easier:)

awesome paper airplanes

me on the map

I haven't decided if I am just going to have them draw each place, or have a black and white map for them to color, but I do know if will involve google earth.

painted wooden spoons

along with a 

cardboard puppet theater

condensed milk painting

and maybe an adorable fairy garden

terrariums 

and other things like swimming, splash pads, embroidry stitching, packing healthy lunches, making story books and home videos. Should be tons of fun.

Oh, and I will probably make these ^genius things ^ for a road trip to California to see some of our favorite people, Brett and Natasha & co. 

(taken last summer, I think I should always pose with my hand on my hip)

 On a side note - if you like twitter and you like to laugh, you should follow Natasha on twitter  (@natashalevinger). I had kinda given up on twitter and then was on there again (kinda by accident?) and found myself scrolling through just to find all of her tweets I had missed and then reading them outloud to Russ. She is one funny lady and Brett is really funny too. I am convinced they sit around their house all day just laughing at each other (and their hilarious children).

So,summer 2012, please do not disappoint!!!