Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend..........We are back after a stay in Monterey--I am married to a military pilot and we were able to spend the weekend with a fellow military family! We had the opportunity to attend an amazing patriotic event put on by the Navy-- I love giving the kids opportunities to participate in these events and gain a better understanding and respect for all who serve our country!

Hawaii Play

I believe that a lot of a child's processing of a vacation happens after the experience. There is so much to take in during the experience that is important to recall later. We purchased a lei to bring home and remind us of our trip and add to dramatic play.
I found these hand made dolls at a local toy store...my daughter has been using them to sing all of the Hawaiian songs and dances that we learned on our trip!! Aren't they adorable???
We are really big on tradition in our household...my husband and I both vacationed in the the same spot in Kauai as children (funny coincidence) and we bring our children back to the same spot as well...........so I was so excited when I found this retro coloring book that both my husband and I remember having as a child!
The book has a lot of Hawaiian words and traditions in it...too cute, I love the characters!!

Making Leis

I love making our own leis when we visit Hawaii! There are beautiful flowers growing everywhere and it is fun for the kids to collect their own flowers and string them into a beautiful lei!

We always make sure we bring dental floss and a sewing kit.....you can save a lot of money when you make your own and the kids get so excited to wear their lei to a show or luau!

Aloha xo

Aloha Style

So I am back from Hawaii............it so hard to get back into action after vacation! I thought I would share some of my aloha inspiration over the next few days.....

I used orchids in my wedding (my favorite flower) we put them all over the cake and I am now wondering why I have not continued to do this..........it makes such a beautiful statement and there is no reason this trick should be exclusive to wedding cakes! So there is my big 'aha' moment of the week.................

Surf Luau

We hosted a birthday luau today for my daughter's best buddy!

Spring Sailing

We finally had some free time to go visit our boat and go sailing in San Francisco........our son is old enough now to start helping us sail, he is a natural sailor!
The weather was usual fog....but gorgeous scenery.............doesn't our boat have a great view?? I would love to live on it---but we would be horribly cramped and cold!


A little red wine for Mom and Dad after a long amazing day sailing!

Aloha Spirit

My husband ordered me fresh flowers from Hawaii for Mom's day---My favorite!!....He is such a sweetheart. These flowers are really getting me in the Aloha spirit, we leave for Hawaii a week from today Yay!!
I love flower arranging.....especially when I am working with tropical flowers!

Princess and The Frog

I love the idea of a princess and frog party! It is very appealing to both girls and boys---and I have always loved the saying 'you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince'--probably the only truth to fairy tales....(:
Jump over the lilly pad..........I am so drawn to lilly pads--there is something so magical about a beautiful leaf and flower floating in the middle of a pond!

Here is the princess and the frog Topsy Turvy doll--it actually has 3 characters in one doll--the princess flips to a frog and if you kiss the frog you get a prince!

Flex Strings

We created some pictures using flex strings....have you seen these? They are so much fun to use! They are basically wax sticks that hold their shape and you can mold them into various designs--they stick to paper, windows, walls and they do not stain or make a mess! They can be over and over again, providing hours of creative opportunities--love them!!

If Trees Could Talk

We have continued talking about trees and our environment after earth day......so we decided to give our favorite tree a face.................................

We took the trees advise and quietly played blocks under our tree on this beautiful spring day!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

I have been doing a lot of letter sorting (capitalized verses lower case) with my daughter who is in preschool................
We decided to get out the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom DVD and book.....we are a huge book family........we do not watch a lot of TV or movies.... but I love all of the DVD's that reinforce the books, I really think it helps make letter/word connections.

and of course we had to make our own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom treat............we leave for Hawaii in a little over a week so this activity helped us get into the tropical spirit!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I love to give little treats to my mommy friends on Mother's Day....I found these adorable free printable tags at Tomkat Studio (http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/)....

I wish I could send all of you moms out there some chocolate....because I know you deserve it....Happy Mother's Day!!!

Cup Cake Party