last week of summer

To make the most of the last week of summer, I booked a spur of the moment camping trip for the kiddies and I. Our summer has been so much fun, I don't want it to end. I can't believe that soon the kids will be back at school. And hockey try-outs start on the long weekend for R - nothing says end of summer to me like the start of hockey season!

K dropped the kiddies and I off at my favorite campground in the 1000 Islands - the same one the kiddies and I camped at in July - and picked us up a week later.

We pretty much spent the entire week here...

at the pools.This campground is so great for kids. They give you a schedule of activities when you check in, that you can take part in as you like. It's like sleep-away summer camp {but I get to go too}!

You can start every morning with a jumping contest at the pool.

And this week you could tie-dye a t-shirt...

{the kiddies found a cool 'stick bug' by the tie-dye station}

go on the daily 'Water Wars Wagon Rides' around the campground {a huge water fight between the kids on the tractor-pulled wagon and all the other campers - so much fun!}...

make a water yo-yo, get an airbrush tattoo by the pool, have movie nights with popcorn in the main lodge, or outdoor movie nights, etc. Our kids spent hours and hours in the pool daily - they lived in their swimsuits. {Thank goodness for the waterproofing on Miss S's cast - the only downside was having to dry it out each time it got wet!}

A friend of mine and her girls came to spend the week with us in our trailer and the kids had so much fun together. And it was great for me to have someone to have 'margarita happy hour' with at the pool and after the kiddies crashed for the night!

I wish we had more weeks of summer to spend here.

best buddies

R has been best buddies with C since the beginning of JK {since 'forever' if you are 7 years old}.

These two immediately hit it off in their first year of school together, right after we moved here, and all of R's stories from school have always included C. They have always had so much in common, and they got along so well. They were in JK and SK together and then this past year, in Grade 1 they were in different classrooms, but that did not stop them from playing together at every recess. They were on the same hockey team this year, so there were many play dates after the Saturday and Sunday games.

Sadly at the end of this school year C moved to a new city {his dad's company transferred him} and R will miss his buddy...

smash book

smash: the act of sticking your cool stuff into this awesome book.

I recently picked up a Smash book from The Scrapbox, right after they came in, which was very lucky of me, as they are selling out crazy fast everywhere. If you haven't heard of Smash, then you have most likely been living under a rock, then check out them out on the K&Company website or watch this video...

After I brought mine home, I was thinking that this is a book that R would love, because he is a bit of a hoarder he likes to 'save' all the random 'stuff' that we accumulate in life, and he likes to document his days in his school agenda.

So I made him his own Smash book using materials I already had on hand...

like some cardboard and 7Gypsies tape for the cover. And fun bits of paper that I had in my scraps basket...

and sheets of Kraft paper that I used fun border punches on...
I stuck in some Kraft envelopes to hold his secret treasures...

and used plenty of lined paper so he can work on his writing skills over the summer.

I just kept adding pages and adding pages until it had that fun, random feeling that the Smash books have. I bound his book using three big binder rings so his book is actually more practical, as he can add pages {or brochures, clippings, or maps, etc} to it, as he goes along.

R loves it! He started using it right away - he journaled what he has been up to so far on his summer break, and he glued in a movie stub he brought home after we saw Cars 2... He and I are sharing all the Smash embellishments that I bought, since each pack came with plenty. He has been using the journaling prompts and tucking things in the little envelopes...

I think it is a great way to document our summer fun, and it's a great 'project' for us to work on together.

{I got into BIG TROUBLE when: I threw a water balloon at my Mom

Best ADVICE I've received: Always wear clean underwear}

{Because really, before I know it he will think he is too cool to scrapbook with Mom}!

best.rapunzel.party.ever

Miss S loves, loves, loves the movie Tangled. Seriously loves it.


She loves Rapunzel so much, she wanted to invite 'the real Rapunzel' to her birthday party.
Well magically, 'the real Rapunzel' did come to Miss S's party. And she was fabulous!

She read stories...

and danced...

and played games...


glitterized the girls...


and even sang the songs from the movie. She was amazing! The girls loved her. They were in awe of her. They did what ever she told them to do {bonus for me}!

Just in case you were wondering where R was during the party - it was all too girly and princess-y for him, he was not interested at all...

Well, maybe he was a little bit interested!

Miss S became an Official Princess for the day at a very official ceremony. After confirming that she was in fact turning f-i-v-e, not four, but FIVE...

Miss S was sworn in, and would become Princess S until midnight that evening. She took the official oath and everything...

and promised to always be kind to everyone, just like a true Princess. It was so cute at how seriously Princess S took everything.

Rapunzel carried out the birthday girl's cupcake and sang happy birthday with us...

and she posed for photos...

It was the best.party.ever.

{If you want 'the real Rapunzel' to come to your party too, you can invite her here - we did the Fantasy Princess package. I could not recommend this Rapunzel enough - she was perfect}

tangled party decorations part II

I made a Rapunzel Tower 'cake' because Miss S specially requested one...

but I wasn't sure the kids would really want to eat it, so we had {our favorite} cupcakes too. Purple flowers and green grass inspired by the scene in the movie when Rapunzel finally leaves her tower...


I forgot to take photos of the party food, but along with the cupcakes we had fruit and cheese and crackers {served in frying pans, like the one Rapunzel carried around for most of the movie} and some sweet bread that was braided like Rapunzel hair.


Miss S, R and I made each guest their own pet chameleon Pascal, so they could stick their tongue out at Flynn Rider too...


and we gave them out as a 'thank you' treat, with a canvas and a set of paints so they could paint like Rapunzel did in her tower.



I loved using the details from the movie to decorate for the party! It was a great theme for a little girl party. {And it's kind of ridiculous how excited I get over having a princess party. I know.}