Home bodies and crafting

Thanks to a local carnival and a student free day and we have found ourselves with a (much needed) four day weekend. The girls had wanted to go to the carnival, (the school actually closed for a day so that students could attend) but between the heinous cost, the exhaustion and the fact that the bits you wind up coming away with are generally cheap, plasticy, mass produced (sweat shop?) items that inevitably find their way to the bin we had a talk and decided not to go but to get together with some like minded friends and do something fun with the kids instead. The zoo, ice-skating, something of that nature. As luck would have it things didn't quite go to plan. So what to do?

We wound up at the beach, collecting pebbles and seashells, making sandcastles, exploring tide pools and (if your name is Bayan) dashing covertly into the surf amidst emphatic cries of: "I won't get wet! I won't get wet!" (Guess who got wet?) The girls enjoyed climbing rocks and I enjoyed just sitting in the sun and watching their fun. I collected a pile of little flat rocks that I am hoping to make into alphabet stones for Bayan, but honestly I have a major lack of energy at the moment so between that and the nausea that is still hanging on who knows if I will ever get around to making them. In the meantime they are lining a path to the cats mailbox.

After hitting the beach we went to the video shop to rent a few kid friendly flicks, stopped by Hungry Jack's for some (veggie) burgers and came home to make our own french fries, lemonade and ice cream which we enjoyed while watching a mini movie marathon. All in all it was not a bad day. We even made bath bombs and the kids started helping me sew up some decorations for a Mexican fiesta at their school and an end of the year celebration at mine.

Ruhi ironed, Anisa flipped them inside out, making sure the points were pointy and Bayan trimmed the threads while I made more. It's great to have such helpful helpers.