LaPaz Home Learning

In order to celebrate Earth Hour this year we turned off all our lights (of course) and then took the opportunity to take a flashlight walk down to the beach. It was a wonderful night!

Who could these ghouls be???

You guessed it! Jack-Jack and Squirt were with us this weekend and joined us on our night jaunt.

Flashlights in hand, off we went to see what we can see in the sea at night!

We looked high…

and we looked low…

along the wall and behind the rocks…

we saw a crab, a small fish, and several kinds of mysterious egg masses…

and watched the lights sparkle on the waves.

We used the last bit of the hour to do a bit of swinging…

then we took our flashlights and headed for home!

I highly recommend a flashlight walk, and not only for Earth Hour, but any time! It was so much fun! We can’t wait to do this again!

What’s a mom to do?

The sun is bright and it’s hot in this beach chair. Not sure I can stand laying here much longer. I think it’s time to call in some relief. Luckily I know just the little girl to call…

Oh, water girl!!!!

Water girl has a brand new watering can is is eager to use it!

Just the feet, dear.   Ahhhh! That’s better!

I think I can stand to lay here a bit longer. Now run along until I call you again.

Such a life I lead.

Make these faux Mexican tin folk art lizards!

The picture really doesn’t do them justice because these things look so much like the real thing! So colorful and fun!

With a little time, simple materials, and some paint pens you’ve got a colorful, fun, wall-worthy piece of art!

I posted the tutorial on a separate page here: Lizard art tutorial because it is really long.

Give them a try and let me know how it goes!

That art tutorial is coming up soon! Promise! But in the meantime, happy spring!

You Are Chirping Birds

You are a very caring person. You especially feel for innocent beings, like animals and children. You are keyed in to the world and very peaceful. You believe that everyone is connected.You remain focused and in the moment. You are not easily distracted. You have a good memory, especially for things that you hear. You listen carefully.

What Part of Spring Are You?

ht: Donna

 Superboy bought himself a cast net yesterday and spent some time today teaching himself how to throw it properly. The idea is to get the net to spread out in the air so it lands in a perfect circle as it hits the water. What seems simple and fairly straight-forward is actually a complex series of motions which, if you’ve ever attempted them, are not exactly easy.

But Superboy is nothing if not determined. With no one to show him how it is done, he got instructions from the internet, went down to the beach to practice in shallow water, and he practiced. Over and over and over.

Until he got it right.

Here is a video his proud mama took showing just how well he taught himself:

(Yes, that is JBug splashing around in the background)

Now…where are those fish?

Wherever they are, they’d better watch out, — Superboy’s got the skillz!

Currently working on an art project that is turning out to be fun and fabulous. Superboy says he likes it because it is just the right level of challenging for him. JBug and I are working together on hers. We have been taking it slow over the past few days and will most likely finish it tomorrow and then I’ll post a tutorial (yay!!!) so you folks can have some fun, too.

But for now here is a little sneak peak to whet your appetite:

Start gathering your paint pens, cardboard, and heavy-duty aluminum foil, because I think you are going to love this project as much as we do!

 Just as I was starting to get the subarctic ecosystem worked out, we have a whole new set of flora and fauna to learn here in the tropics. Hooray! I love the challenge of learning something new!

Now instead of moose families passing through our yard, we often see a flock of about twenty of these beauties:

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)

And it seems just too weird to hear the chatter of these guys from the treetops and rooftops:

I think this is a Monk Parakeet, aka Quaker parrot, (Myiopsitta monachus) but I could be wrong.  This one is actually looking pretty scruffy and seems to be molting at present, with bare patches on its breast.

There are so many interesting birds flying around and wading in the water, plenty of lizards and new insects to discover. Lots to explore! And I can’t wait to get our snorkeling ear so we can explore the wildlife underneath the sea as well!

JBug proves there’s more than one way to enjoy sun + water here in the Keys:

“Mommy! I’m making rainbows!”

Yes, my sweet girl. Mommy thinks you make rainbows every day.

Happy tuesday everyone! Go make some rainbows of your own!

We finally got to meet up with our long-time, long-distance friends, the wonderful Jennifer, Hal, and Marianna of S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen fame! Yay!

We have been planning to get together for so long, so what has been holding us back?

Dilemma:Us at the top of the Keys, and them at the bottom.

Solution: meet in the middle at the Marathon Seafood festival!

Perfect!

A photo that’s been three years in the making:

The kids got along fabulously, as we knew they would, though I think JBug is the only one who really wanted to pose for a picture. (Superboy and Marianna were kind enough to humor me for this one shot).

And what better way for us grown-ups to get acquainted than over fabulous seafood,  great live music, and a bit too much wine?

Here enjoying the music are the handsome husbands (Ed in blue, Hal in red) who hit it off like old pals, and were kind enough to keep bringing the refreshments while Jennifer and I sat and chatted!

And, would you believe it, I was so busy enjoying myself I totally did not get any pics of us gals! Hopefully Jennifer will have some on her blog, though her camera hardly left the bag either( except to take some great pics of JBug and a certain wandering pirate).

We all had such a good time, filled up with great food, great company, and great conversation, and left knowing we’d have to get together again very, very soon!

Tell me, do you think there is still enough time to do a totally handmade, plastic- and battery-free, no Chinese products Easter???

Help me out here, because I suddenly realized that I want to extend our all-natural Christmas gift-giving tradition to Easter.

I’d love for the children to wake up Easter morning to baskets that are not full of plastic eggs in plastic grass, but high-quality, all natural, hand-made items that I can feel good about, but that won’t break the bank.

AND I DO NOT HAVE A SINGLE IDEA!!!!

Little help, here. Please? Anyone???