Punch Buggy Field Guide

Ava and Lola love to play Punch Buggy when we're out and about. You know that game where the first person to call out "Punch Buggy" when a Volksgwagen Beetle goes past gets to punch the other one? Needless to say I'm usually the recipient of said punches! Little, gentle punches of course.

Well, even though they love to play it, my girls aren't too good at recognising just what is a Punch Buggy and what isn't. Oh, they never miss the opportunity when a VW Beetle does go past, but they have trouble when it comes to similar looking cars. This results in a lot of extra punches! Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, Smart Car, Toyota Prius... Pretty much any small, roundish looking car that goes past is greeted with a cry of "Punch Buggy". And trust me, hardly a moment goes by when we don't see a Mini Cooper or Toyota Prius in Berkeley! Especially the Prius.

To combat the onslaught of gentle (yet numerous) punches I've been receiving, I decided to make the girls a Punch Buggy Field Guide to help them accurately identify Volkswagen Beetles.

Punch Buggy Field Guide

With their new Punch Buggy Field Guide in hand it was time for the girls to test it out.

First Day of First Grade

After ten weeks of Summer vacation Ava is back at school.

As of today she is my big first grader.

Her school day goes an hour longer than last year, she spends her recess in the "big yard" and she now has homework every night.

Just like a big kid.

Here's a look at her first day of first grade...

Arriving at school this morning - it was very sunny

Aquatic Park in Berkeley

It's no secret... Kids love playgrounds. 

And it's no secret that the San Francisco Bay Area has some pretty fantastic playgrounds.

During the long Summer vacation I'm always looking for ways to keep the girls occupied. While they're pretty happy being at home working on arts and crafts (or playing with electronic gadgets) there's nothing they enjoy more than getting outside and having fun at the playground. Seeing as we live in a relatively small apartment with no outdoor space of our own, a trip to a playground is a treat that we try to squeeze in most days.

One of our favourite playgrounds here in Berkeley is Aquatic Park down by the Bay. Being made almost entirely of wood, it offers a different feel to the other playgrounds that we frequent. The playground is filled with wooden forts, bridges, monkey bars, a zip line, swings, slides and a multitude of things to climb on. The playground also boasts a butterfly garden with a variety of flowering plants for when little ones need a break from all that climbing. Nearby there is a large grassy area, picnic tables, clean public toilets and, on weekends, a small cafe. We always visit Aquatic Park on weekdays so we're yet to make use of the cafe.

Here's a look at some of the fun the girls have when we visit Aquatic park...  

Big smiles for Aquatic Park

Bead Art Glasses

Last Summer vacation the girls and I worked on quite a few crafty projects. One of our favourites was our bead art projects using Perler beads (or Pyssla beads if they come from Ikea like ours!). We made pendants, 3-D ornaments, portraits and landscapes.

This year we have had so many big things happening over Summer (moving, our Canada trip, visitors from Australia...) that we haven't really had much chance to work on any crafty projects. Yesterday we were stuck at home for much of the day while I tried to deal with medical bills and an iPhone that decided to give up the ghost, so I dug out the big bucket o'beads and the girls started working on some creative projects. Ava made a heart pendant, a portrait, a separate top hat for her portrait to wear and little birds, bees and butterflies. Lola made much more simple shapes which I've decided can be coasters!

Between phone calls and scouring the internet for a way to fix my phone I decided to make a few things myself. I got an idea in my head that glasses made out of the beads would be pretty fantastic, so without telling the girls what I was making I set about creating a few pairs for them.

Colourful specs

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

One last post from our recent trip to Canada...

On our last full day in Canada we visited Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, a short drive north of Vancouver's Downtown. 

Family in the forest

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park has many attractions to keep visitors busy, but the highlight is, you guessed it, the suspension bridge! 

Home Made Hearts for San Francisco

Ever since the day we first arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area from Australia my two little girls have been in love. In love with the city. And in particular, in love with the hearts that dot the corners of Union Square.

The hearts on display in San Francisco's Union Square (among other locations) are made by local artists as part of a fundraising program for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Every year a new batch of 5 foot high, 400 pound hearts are made, put on display around the city and auctioned off to raise funds for the hospital. It's a great fundraiser and brings a nice dash of colour to the streets San Francisco.

My girls love visiting the hearts in Union Square. They love to give the hearts a hug and are always excited when we discover a new one. You can see some of their heart love here and a few cards that I've made using the hearts here and here.

Seeing as my girls love the hearts in Union Square so much I decided to help them make their own and take them to Union Square. Here's a look...

Ava with her Golden Gate Bridge heart

Out and about in Vancouver

Our move into our new apartment is all done and dusted so it's time to get back to writing a few more posts about our recent trip to Canada.

This time let's have a look at a day we spent out and about exploring the beautiful city of Vancouver...

We spent out third day in Vancouver wandering around various places. We did a little shopping, visited Canada Place, took in the views from high above the city at Vancouver Lookout, walked across the bridge to Granville Island where the kids played in the water park, tasted a few local brews at Granville Island Brewing Company, caught a water taxi and walked along the beach watching the sun set over the harbour.

Vancouver Lookout