Back to school shopping list

We got our list and it's an easy one to tackle. School bag, markers, glue sticks, headphones and a box of tissues... done!

Here are some of my favorite finds!
Cute sushi napkins, would pair up nicely with our lunch buddies line: Double Trouble

www.funkins.com

School gear:
Hello Kitty backpack (H's pick)

Target.com

Cool crayons
Maybe it's the artist in me but I got so excited when I saw these at Target. I love me some crayons! Fun shades for each specific theme. So many to choose from, I wanted to buy all of them haha!

Target.com

Fun notebooks
Remember those black and white composition books? They now have the coolest colors and designs on them! Kids are so lucky these days haha. (You know how we love Hello Kitty!)

Where do you go for your back to school items? 
What kind of shopper are you, do you shop at one place? Or go go to several places and get the best deals?

Happy shopping! Our next stop... clothes.
Eva

*This is not a sponsored post

Checking Off Our Summer List Part 2

As you may remember, back in May I talked about how much we had already checked off our summer list, in this post. And few weeks before that I had shared with you what our summer list looked like here.

I'm happy to report that we pretty much did everything off of our list, except maybe one. I'll share some pictures below (if I have them) for each point on our list and also a quick review as to how things turned out.

Here we go:
1) Go to the zoo at least one more time before our membership expires.
We were lucky enough to be able to go one last time before our membership expired and had quite the experience. The kids got to feed lorikeets some nectar out of a cup, go visit the new kid zoo area, and witness a rhino pee, which really left quite an impression!

2) Go to Please Touch Museum before our membership expires.
Squeezed in one last visit to PTM as well and was also the first time that E4 got to really join in the fun. Didn't really take any pictures though.

3) Have a picnic at the park at least one time.
We were lucky enough to be able to do this a few times over the summer. First time right before we visited Cape May Zoo, a couple times at Valley Forge Park, and also one time before we visited Smith's Playground, mentioned in this post.

4) Plant something with the kids.
Well, technically I did plant a couple of things with the kids, some basil and green beans. So the green beans they actually planted at their summer camp but I did keep it alive and healthy enough to sprout 1 bean! I really don't have a green thumb so I consider that a success!

5) Fly a kite with the kids.
We were able to do this at E1's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party, mentioned here. And also at the beach when we went to celebrate E2 & E3's birthday.

6) Take the kids to see a lighthouse.
We did this early on in the summer and visited the lighthouse in Cape May.

7) Go to the beach at least one time.
Happy to say we were able to go 2 times this summer. First time when we went to see the Cape May lighthouse and second time when we had a special weekend to celebrate the twins' 4th birthday!

8) Make our own bubble solution and attempt to make huge bubbles.
This was probably the one failure in our list. Now it doesn't mean I didn't try, I did but I think I put too much water in my solution or maybe just not quite enough glycerin, because the bubbles popped really easily. I vow to try this again though and hopefully be successful.

9) Go fruit picking.
We got the chance to pick a few times this summer--strawberries, blueberries, and peaches! Hoping to go pick apples too before the summer picking season ends.

How was your summer this year? Did you get to do all that you wanted to? Would love to hear from you!

Zi

Getting ready for Kindergarten!

BACK TO SCHOOL

I still cannot believe my little girl is going to Kindergarten! She really has grown over the summer, in height and even looks more mature (no more baby face, sniff sniff).
We have orientation next week! Hopefully this will give H a better idea what Kindergarten will be like. Become familiar with her surroundings, get a chance to sit on a school bus, meet her teacher and new friends. Fortunately she has 3 of her good friends in her class which is a big plus. I'm hoping she will transition well.

But the question is... am I ready?
Going 5 days a week... We'll definitely have to stick to our schedule every night so we can be up and ready to leave on time. No more "lazy mornings" where we can just chill in our PJs and do as we please.

Riding the school bus... I'm still debating about this one. I feel she's so young or am I'm just being an overprotective mommy? It's great that she has a bus and it would make the mornings "easier". However, she's telling me that she doesn't want to ride the bus. Should I just drive her til she is more familiar with the new school? What would you do?

Doing homework... Yes even in Kindergarten, at least I don't have to worry about not knowing the answers. Seems more intense than when I was a kid, all we did was have snacks and play.

Are you ready for the school year to begin? 
Do you remember your first day of Kindergarten?

Eva

DIY Light saber

Many of you know my N loves his Angry Birds. This was the key reward that helped him to be potty trained and of course his Angry Bird birthday party that we had back in March. He still plays with them every day but he also has a new "favorite" these days... Darth Vader. 

Thanks to my brother, Cao Fu, (uncle in cantonese) as the kids call him. It started off with N "inheriting" my brother's old light sabers. And when my brother visited back in July he showed N the Volkswagen Darth Vader commercial. N instantly got hooked and replayed that commercial over and over. He even does his version of Darth Vader moves as he hums the song. Cracks me up every time!

The other day he discovered an empty wrapping paper roll in the recycling bin and said to me. "Mommy I want to make a Darth Vader sword! I need some red paint." And so here's a real simple DIY light saber by N! This would definitely be a fun activity if we had a Star wars theme party.

WHAT YOU NEED
Empty wrapping paper roll
Paint
Paint brush
Black and silver duct tape
Scissors

First paint the wrapping paper roll and allow to dry.

Wrap black duct tape on one end to create handle. Cut strips of silver duct tape to add details on to handle.

This is his "Darth vader" face.

Who's your favorite character in Star Wars? 
Do you have a favorite Star Wars movie?
I remember I would pretend to be Princess Leia when a bunch of us would play Star Wars as kids.

Thanks for reading!
Eva

Summer movies: DIY Minion

Sorry we've been M.I.A things have been crazy for the past week. Did you miss us? hehe
There are a couple movies that my kids want to go see, Monsters University (which was enjoyed by all, especially the lady behind us.) and Despicable Me 2. Hopefully we can catch DM2 this weekend. My kids watch Despicable Me enough times to know and love the minions. You probably see them everywhere... stores, McDonalds, TV and even on those Chiquita banana stickers?!
So of course our next project is to make... a minion!

WHAT YOU NEED
Empty toilet paper roll
Yellow plastic egg
Googly eyes
Silver or gray paper
1/8 inch strip of black paper
Yellow pipe cleaner
Markers, crayons or paint
Zots or glue dots
Tape

First cut paper roll to be 1 1/2 inches long. Draw overalls and color.

 Draw a circle on the silver paper to create the goggle rims. H used a nickel to trace a circle.

Cut out & attach googly eyes.

Apply black strip to complete the goggles.

Place egg in the paper roll. Attach goggle.
Cut a small slit on side of roll and push in yellow pipe cleaner as the arms. Wrap black strip around pipe cleaner to create the minion's gloves.

H's minion

N's minion

Make as many as you want and you'll have your own little minions invading your home.
Want to have a Despicable Me Birthday theme, this would make a fun party craft. Need a party favor? Just fill it up with some candy or toy inside!

What summer movies have you seen or want to go see?
Eva