Down At The Schoolyard!

We've spent a lot of time lately trespassing...I mean...hanging out at Paprika's school. Part of it is getting her acquainted with the new playground/outdoor area she'll be at in the Fall in Kindergarten. And part of it is just because it's a fun place to go for the girls, and well...it's fenced. Which, in my book, is always crucial when you've got kids like mine. Haha!



We usually pick up lunch on the way over - Rubio's is the current favortie. :-)



So, anyway, this is basically how we spent last weekend. I am trying to think of what else we did, but at the moment it's not coming to mind. I know we did more than just hang out at the park. But then again, I had a to-do list a mile long of things I wanted to get accomplished this weekend (putting away laundry was at the top of that list)- and on Sunday night, I realized I had accomplished nothing. Like, not even one load of laundry was put away. Ha!



But, I know we did take the girls to ice cream. And there was a trip to Home Depot somewhere in there. And we put up a little fence in our front yard to keep out irresponsible dog walkers.

I think Ginger's shirt pretty much sums up what I'm saying here. ;-)



Mostly, though, we just did a lot of playing at the park and playground on Saturday and Sunday.

On Sunday, we brought the bikes. Paprika's bike is kinda big for her. I actually found it at Goodwill and snatched it up faster than you can say Jack Rabbit. It was a heckuva find. She was pretty nervous about riding it (even after we got training wheels on it) - so I am not sure if she was riding the bike, or she was just sitting on something while I pushed her. Not sure.



Ginger chose her own outfit for bike riding. I guess she wanted to be protected. Haha!



Eventually, Ginger ditched her bike and Paprika ended up riding Ginger's bike. Paprika thought that was so funny, and actually ended up loving the little bike. Then, Mr. M ended up riding Paprika's bike.



It was all kinds of crazy. What can I say, we know how to party. :-)



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She Did It!

(Photo: Paprika at the Mall, moments after picking out her Lotso Bear!)

On the 4th of July, Paprika (age 5) finished her 100 Book Challenge!

The 100 Book Challenge was a deal we made that if she read me 100 different books outloud, she could go to the Disney store and pick out her very own Lotso Bear.

I am not sure exactly the date that we started the challenge, but I think it was mid-May because that's the last time we were at Disneyland...and she started talking about wanting Lotso Bear after that trip.

Prior to the challenge, Paprika had been a very reluctant and not a confident reader. I wanted her to get comfortable reading, and so that's why I decided to incentivize her a bit. I chose some books that were easy for her (to build confidence) and some books that were challenging (to build skill).

I let her choose many of the books, but I had to be careful to make sure they were "in range" for her reading abilities. I didn't want her to get discouraged by choosing books that were too far over level. By the same token, I didn't want her picking books that were "too easy" just to add up more books read. So, I cleared out a bunch of books and made available books that I knew she would enjoy reading outloud.



I made a little list that we call Secret Chart - basically, it's a list that I hide in our secret hiding place (the top of her closet) when we're not reading. It's "secret" so that Ginger doesn't take it and destroy it! ;-)

I always read a few stories to her every night at bedtime (we just don't count those on the list). And she would be reading me stories anyway. But this just sort of got her excited about reading, so that she was pushing herself to read more than I was pushing her.



I had figured we might finish this weekend, but on Wednesday (July 4th), she was only 6 books from finishing, so she decided to power through and go get Lotso on the holiday!

We had originally planned to take her to Disneyland to get Lotso, but because it's summer and soooo hot and crowded there, we opted for the Disney Store. She was so excited about that. She's been to Disneyland one hundred times, but this was her very first trip to the Disney Store! She was beyond excited...I think even more so than if she'd gone to Disneyland. Ha!



When we got to the store, we wanted to include Ginger but didn't want to overshadow Paprika's accomplishment. Paprika really wanted Ginger to get something, too, so we ended up getting Ginger a cute Little Mermaid sippy cup. Both the girls were dancing on clouds when we left - all for a little bear and a sippy cup.

Paprika was so proud of herself. I know that when she looks at that Bear, she feels very proud of herself and how far she has come.

She started out an insecure reader before the challenge. In the past almost two months, she has become quite confident and she really enjoys reading. Her fluency has improved so much, and she has started reading books just for fun to Ginger and Violet.



The funny thing is that I think she began to enjoy the challenge even more than me. When we were at the Disney Store, she saw this nightgown that she really wanted (from the movie Brave) - and when we got home, she asked if we could do Secret Chart again to earn that nightgown.

So, now we have a new Secret Chart to start! Except this time, I am mixing it up. We are going to still keep reading outloud for fun (obviously) - but I want her to work on her writing/penmanship skills. So, this secret chart will be about writing books. Paprika has always loved writing her own stories. So, she has decided to write 50 books (written and illustrated)- and once she completes that, she can go get a Brave nightgown.

She actually wanted to write 100 books, but that seemed a little over the top, considering it takes a lot of work for her to write and illustrate each book. I want it to be fun and the right length of time.

I figured 50 books is going to be enough of a challenge for now...especially because she really takes her time writing her books. I will do a post on that later (how we make the books) - it's quite easy and super fun. She's been writing books on her own since last summer, so this is just a way to get her excited about working on her writing skills and using her creative mind to illustrate her stories.

Here are a few videos of her reading on the last day of the challenge. These videos are mostly for the grandparents (Haha!) - they are a little long, but so precious to me. If you watch them, you can hear Paprika reading in her "voices" - it seriously cracks me up!

Here she is reading Book #100 - Are You My Mother?:



Reading Frog and Toad, Cookies:




Reading Frog and Toad, Dragons and Giants:




Reading Mouse Tales - Very Tall Mouse and Very Short Mouse:



So, that's it! I am so proud of Paprika and so happy that she has developed such a love of reading...one that hopefully we can continue to nurture in her as she grows. I hope her newfound confidence in reading helps her in school, especially as she starts Kindergarten this fall! :-)

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4th of July!

The first thing you should know about yesterday was that it wasn't just the Fourth of July. It was also Boo's birthday! Boo is Paprika's favorite doll, and she has always insisted that Boo was born on July 4th, even though we got Boo a couple years ago in April.

So, Paprika woke up very excited to celebrate Boo's birthday and the Fourth of July. No pressure! Ha!



We had a mostly relaxing day at home. We were dog-sitting for our friend again, so Daisy was in Dog Heaven about that. The two dogs were having a rolicking good time chasing eachother in the backyard for hours and hours and hours. Today Daisy has been tired. I think she got enough exercise to last her a month!

Remember how Paprika was reading me 100 different books outloud to earn a special stuffed animal she wanted? Well, yesterday, she only had six books to go...so she powered through, and we finished the challenge! She got to go to the Disney Store to pick out her special bear.



I snapped these pictures of the girls right before we left on our special trip. They were so excited and genuinely happy, so I just had to capture these moments. I know there are a lot of pictures! I was making sure I got at least one good one, and then I loved them all. :-)



After we got back from the Disney Store, we had a late lunch of burgers, salad, fruit, and Coronas! Our friends gave us a giftcard for Christmas for some specialty organic/heirloom meat. We redeemed it and have had the beef in our fridge for awhile, and decided to cook it up for our special day.

So, I went off my otherwise vegan diet to eat a burger. I find I still have to do that occasionally. I guess I am not about all black or white thinking anymore. One burger in six months is, you know, a teeny tiny fraction of what I used to eat (when I had a burger/day habit!) It was soooo good!



We decided earlier in the day that we wouldn't go to the fireworks. It's just crazy here with thousands of people, crazy traffic, and all that goes with big city festivities...not to mention the loud noise of the fireworks. You have to go early with a blanket to reserve your spot at the place we went last year, and we didn't feel like messing with it.

Then, at about 8:20 last night, Paprika came up to me with her big brown eyes and said, "Mom, it's time to go to the fireworks! Boo is so excited because it's her birthday!"

It kind of slayed my heart. She had Boo all packed up and she was ready to go. I could not deny my sweet Paprika the simple pleasures of a fireworks show. It seemed positively un-American!

So, we threw everyone in the van and headed into the madness just about half an hour before the fireworks were set to go off! We decided to head to the beach, since there was going to be a fireworks show nearby and I knew we'd be able to see it from there.

Ginger did NOT want to go to the fireworks, which she let us know very clearly once we were driving in the car. Then, we could not find parking. It was turning into a disaster.

So, we made a quick executive decision to just drop me, Paprika, and baby Violet off at the beach and Mr. M would drive around with Ginger (who then promptly fell asleep in the car!)



We kind of lept out of the car in crazy traffic and wow...I was not prepared for the scene down at the beach. It was like being in the middle of Mardi Gras with a baby and a five year old! Probably everyone between the ages of 18 and 25 in Los Angeles, totally drunk and out of their minds...they were ALL there! It was seriously Girls Gone Wild material...not that I've ever seen that. Just the commercials. Just sayin'!

And here I was with my five year old clutching her little Boo doll and my 7 month old baby. No blanket. No sweaters for us. With drunk people staggering around in droves, I felt like the Zombie Apocolypse really had come, and we were about to be eaten.



I was kind of stuck so I just made the best of it. We found an empty spot, sat down in the sand and in a few (thankfully, short!) minutes, the fireworks started. Paprika was mesmerized. It was pretty magical. Someone in one of the beach houses started broadcasting music in sync to the fireworks, which added to the show. Paprika started dancing in the sand to the music.

Someone near us started shooting off their own VERY big fireworks, which was a bit terrifying, but according to Paprika, it just added to the excitement.



Baby Violet loved the fireworks, too. She was kind of ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over them. We were far enough away that there weren't any loud noises from the fireworks. So, I just sat her in my lap, and she was clapping and having the best time.



Finally, it was OVER...I called Mr. M and he picked us up. Paprika said it was the best fireworks show EVER and was so happy that Boo had such a magical birthday. All's well that ends well. I am glad to say we survived the 4th! :-)

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Somebody That I Used To Know...

Family, by Ginger. Age 2 years 10 months!


Ginger and Paprika are very prolific artists. Ginger (age 3) can create dozens of "masterpieces" in an hour - I have drawers filled with her artwork, and stacks on the shelves.

I feel like all I do is buy reams of white paper. Not really, but kinda. I figure that the more paper I supply, the less likely our walls will end up being a canvas. Although, that happens, too!

I had a great filing system for it all when Paprika was little, and I am sure I'll get back to that someday...but for now, our art gallery is the refrigerator (drawings stacked six deep under a single magnet), and anywhere else their drawings will fit.

Both girls have a definite "style" of their own. Ginger always draws people (families) and they all look quite similar. I grabbed a few I had in the kitchen, and took some pictures of them. They are pretty indicative of what she's drawing now. There is this one drawing she did recently that was so amazing (to me) - I put it somewhere special, and now I can't remember where that is. Ha! That is my crazy life at the moment. ;-)

Here is another drawing she did - maybe a month or two ago:



And a portrait of me, her mama. Don't I look beeeeautiful! :-)



When we go out to dinner (usually just Rubio's these days), I always bring crayons and paper for the girls. At dinner a few weeks ago, Paprika (age 5) drew this drawing while we were waiting for our dinner to arrive:



If you can't tell, here is the inspiration for her drawing (a video she saw ONCE!):



I know I am their mama, but I never cease to be impressed by Paprika and Ginger. Just when I think I have them all figured out, they surprise me with something new and inspire me to think differently.

Have a great 4th of July! Fingers crossed Mr. M doesn't have to work tomorrow - I am so looking forward to having the day together. :-)

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Hi July!

What a weekend - we did it ALL! Well, at least it felt that way. :-) Mr. M did end up taking the big girls to see Brave (even though I didn't want him to!) Paprika thought it was okay. Ginger was terrified and had nightmares last night about a bear. Hmmmm. Wonder why?! It was a good try, though, and something they will probably always remember. ;-)

Part of Sunday, we grabbed lunch at Rubio's and brought it over to Paprika's school. We let the girls play on the playground while we ate. We were in the kindergarten playground, and one of the kindergarten teachers showed up. I talked to her for quite awhile and she kinda let it slip that Paprika is in her class next year! That is top secret info (class lists aren't posted until a few days before school). So, now I know who Paprika's teacher is even though I'm not supposed to know!

Paprika couldn't decide which shoes to wear to the playground (she loves them both) - so she decided to wear both:



Saturday we took the girls to the park for a little playdate with a family we met there last week. They have one little girl Paprika's age, and a baby. I was actually off walking with Violet last week when the girls were playing (Mr. M was supervising), so I didn't get to meet this little girl and her family.



This week, I was there and while the little girl was super cute, I did NOT like the way she treated Ginger. Basically, she kept telling Paprika to run away from Ginger and not play with her. I kept encouraging them to play with Ginger (Paprika is always super inclusive of Ginger when she plays with others)- but the little girl kept acting really poorly towards Ginger.

So...long story short, that is the last time we will meet up with that little girl. I know it probably sounds harsh, but I will not stand for that c-r-a-p. I take the bond that my kids have together very seriously, and if anyone tries to undermind that, they are OUT. I feel like one of the best gifts we can give our girls is to nurture their friendship with one another, so they (hopefully) have it for a lifetime. I want to strengthen their love and bond, that's all. I know I won't always have control over that, but right now, I do.

So, anyhoo. Ginger still had a great day at the park. She got to push Mr. M on the baby swing. :-)



On Saturday, the girls spent about three hours at the pool (before we went to the park) with Mr. M while I caught up on a bunch of errands with Violet (grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.) When they got home, we couldn't find Paprika for a minute, and then found her in our bedroom like this:



I had to take a picture - she was just too cute!

So, that was the weekend...at least the parts I can remember off the top of my head on this sleep-deprived Monday! Is it Friday yet?! Haha. :-)

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