Griffin's Fort

Griffin loves making forts! He is constantly thinking up new forts that he would like to make.  On our very long drive home from PEI, Griffin talked constantly about the fort he wanted to make when we got home.  He pinterested for different ideas, and when we explained that our backyard could not support the fort he was dreaming up, he came up with the idea of using big boxes.

We arrived home very late that night, and we were hoping both the boys would sleep in.  At 7:01am, I had Griffin at my ear, asking if we could now make his fort.

I gave him some paper and some markers for him to design his fort, and to give us a bit more sleep time.

By 9am, Tony was on the road going from store to store, asking for big boxes, a job harder than you would think.

Not long after he arrived home, the boys got to work.  A little duct tape, some cut out windows and he was set.

This little boy was as happy as can be!

 

Back to School Reusable Snack bags

We are going back to school environmentally friendly!
Check out these cute reusable snack bags I ordered for myself and the boys!

You can order them here:
snack bags

Summer Fun

Griffin's Top Ten Summer Fun List

1.   I liked Storyland in New Hampshire
2.   I liked when I got my stuffies in Quebec City
3.   Learning to swim without my water wings
4.   I liked walking through the spooky forest to the beach in PEI
5.   I liked swimming in the pool
6.   I love Matthew from Anne of Green Gables, especially when he said "Don't be so     hard on her"
7.   I liked when we went to Santa's Village
8.   I had fun mini putting because I liked when I got it in the hole.
9.   I liked when I got the Ninga Turtle toy
10. I didn't like, I loved the candy shops in PEI!

 
 

Summer Time

Summertime is slipping by, but boy what a great summer we have had!

Top Ten Summer moments from Owen

1.   Vacation to PEI

2.   Staying at Grandma and Grandpas

3.   Hanging with my mom and dad

4.   Collecting shells at the ocean

5.   Playing with my friends

6.   Eating good food

7.   Going to the beach

8.   Visiting Santa's Village

9.   Going Storyland in New Hampshire

10.  Learning to tie my shoes!

 

My Little Collector

 

Owen is a collector.  These pictures aren't the greatest but what you are looking at is his dresser that is filled from one end to the other with all of his special items displayed in order very neatly.  

Most recently, his rock and shell collection are his most prized items.  As you can see, he has a vast collection and takes care of all of the items.

In fact it is much like a museum display! 

Shell Collection

Rock Collection

Prince Edward Island Collection

Snow Globe Collection

A short tour of the County

On Sunday the weather was beautiful and we had been wanting to get back to Prince Eward County before summer ended, so off we went.  Our first stop was to Norman Hardie's Vineyard and Wood Fire Pizza. While there, we explored the vineyard and the boys just had to sneak a grape.  They even brought one back for daddy to try.

Exploring the Vineyard

Sneaking grapes

 We love the wood fire pizza.  So simple and so good!

The wood fire pizza

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The Vineyard

Prince Edward County is full of wonderful surprises including the many vineyards, homemade ice cream at Slickers, Black River Cheese, and Sandbanks provincial park.

A visit with the Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup was arriving this Saturday in our hometown, and although it might not be our boys dream just yet, we thought it was an important moment they might like to be part of.  Who knows how long it will be until the next time it returns.

The wait was very long, and the heat was at times unbearable, but once Brad Richardson of the LA Kings and the Stanley Cup arrived, the atmosphere was full of excitement and energy and the crowd was went wild.

The long hot wait for the cup to arrive

Brad Richardson of the LA Kings arriving with the cup

Eye on the prize

This picture is my favourite one captured.  One day, this might be a dream of Owen's, and this picture will be a neat keepsake.

The cup in all its glory

Back to School Pin Ups!

1/ Back to school is coming way to fast, but to soften the blow I found some really cute ideas to help me get ready.

I have always taken a first day of school picture, but I love this idea of editing the photo to list all of their favourite things.  What a great way to record them!

You can check out more ideas here: first day of school picture

2/  I don't have a classroom this year. Instead I am going to make these with my boys.

These book mark critters are very cute, and hopefully motivate them to dive into a book!

 Learn how to make them here: book marks

3/ This has to be my favourite back to school pin up!

I just have to get one of these tshirts!

 4/ Uggg, making lunches is such a chore, but with all these cute ideas, I might just be able to convince the boys to eat something other than their regular old sandwich.

Here is the link: healthy lunches

 5/ Here is another great idea for the perfect first day of school picture.  I think I might actually do both.  They will be great for my scrapbooks.  

I will post my pictures as soon as they are taken!

Here is your link: Back to school picture

5/ This is the perfect "Back to School" teacher gift!  A shiny apple and some yummy caramel dip to go with it!

This treat will ensure they are the teachers pet!

Here is the info you need: teacher gift

New Favourite

Pizza on the BBQ

 

Our Adventure to P.E.I.

We started our adventure with a six hour drive to Old Quebec City.  If you haven't been, you definitely should.  This was our second time there, but first with kids.  A completely different experience!

It was fun being back, hitting some of our favourite places including the Crepe place for breakfast, and the Funnicular ride.

The boys had fun exploring all the little shops and the balloon artist, and our horse drawn carriage ride.  The enjoyed the ride for a different reason than us, they wanted to ask all about the horse, whether the horse had friends, who were the friends, where did they sleep, etc.  We enjoyed learning the history of this old town.  
We spent two nights and they we hit the road for another 10 hours to arrive in Prince Edward Island, one of the most beautiful places I've seen.

My favourite things about P.E.I. 

Griffin Building sand castles

The boys loving everything about their vacation

Lobster

Cavendish beach and the red sand

The sunsets

Everything Anne of Green Gables

Raspberry Cordial

Playing race games with Anne

The boys loving Anne of Green Gables

Costume time!

COWS ice cream, my favourite FAVOURITE!

Griffin meeting Matthew whom he just adored

Family vacations are such a treat, the memories made, the time spent together, and sharing new experiences with our kids.

My favourite day was the day we went into Charlottetown to see the Anne of Green Gables musical.  My fingers were crossed that the boys would like it, not only did they like it but they loved it!  The laughed and sang along, and cried when Matthew died, and when we left they asked if we could come back tomorrow to watch it again.  This was my favourite memory, sharing one of my favourite stories with them, and having them share the love of theatre.

Pizza Puffs, Peach Cobbler, and Pasta Salad

Last night we had friends over for dinner, so I decided to try a few new items.

To start off, I made these Pepperoni Pizza Puffs.  They were easy to make, tasted delicious and were a big hit with all. For step by step directions (and better pictures) go here:  Pizza Puffs

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Adapted from Everyday

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375^o. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping

 

 Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad

Click here for the recipe: Pasta Salad

And for dessert

Peach Cobbler

Marble Race

Yesterday, the boys were excited to spend sometime with their friends next door. 

They had been playing with marbles, so we decided to make a race track for them as seen on Pinterest.

We used one of our pool noodles, and cut in half lengthwise.

The pool noodle was a little curvy so I took the hot glue gun to keep the two halves together and straight.

Next, the kids made a start and finish sign using paper and straws and just stuck the straws into the pool noodle.  

Once we were done, the kids lined up their marbles and the races began!

The kids had a blast, and the whole project took about 10 minutes to create.

Pinterest Pin Ups

Pinterest Pin Ups of the Week

1/ Hair Braid- I love this hair braid.  I also love that this pin up shows you how to do the braid.  I can't wait to give it a try.  I will let you know how it goes.

You can check it out here: Braid

2/ Caught being Good.  This is a great way to praise your children for good behaviour instead of nagging about the bad behaviour.  I often check myself pointing out what is being done wrong, and this is going to be a great way to reward my boys for all the good things they do.  Each time I catch them doing something good, I am going to give them a ticket to put in the bowl for a chance to win a reward.  I have been thinking about different ideas including; lunch out with mom or dad, pick a new book, stay up 10 minutes late, etc.

You can read more here:  Caught you being good!

3/ Teacher Voice T-Shirt- love this!  I can't tell you how many times I have heard my husband tell people to watch out for the teacher voice.  This t-shirt says it for me!

Buy one here:  teacher voice t-shirt

4/ Marble Race for the boys- fun activity!  My boys have been playing with their marbles lately, and this is the perfect activity to keep them busy.  

For instructions, visit here:  marble race

Favourite Book of the Summer so far.....

 

Not only has this been my favourite book of the summer thus far, but also my favourite book by this author.  It is a story about three families from Nantucket that all deal with a tragic accident that takes place at the beginning of summer.

If you are looking for a good book, I suggest this one!

Birthday Celebration

 Last night I celebrated my oldest lifetime friends' birthday.  Lisa and I met in kindergarten, shared many of the same classes together at school, shared in each other's weddings, and continue in the journey of mothering all boys together.



I was more than happy to celebrate Lisa's birthday with her and her family.  While they are here at their cottage visiting, it was great to have them come in for a swim and dinner.


Check out the picture of all of our boys!  Oh Boy!

Beach Buds!

 As crazy as this sounds, the very next morning after returning from our vacation we headed to the beach with our friends, Monika, Alexander and Christopher.  It was the perfect beach day.  Waves!  

 These four have spent most of the summer together either at our pool, their pool or at the beach.  All four of them have a lot of fun together.  They are all so close in age and love to play together.

 My boys loved playing in the waves with the boogie board.

On the hunt for treasure.  These four spend a lot of time searching for feathers, shells and anything they would consider treasure!