The Can Crusher

1 cull green scrap 2x6x44 board from the Home Depot reject bin: 55 cents

1 door hinge left behind by contractors: free

2 jar lids saved from trash: free

6 wire nails found in garage: free

helping 1 thrilled 8 year old make a can crusher: priceless

Yes, another Lowe's Build n Grow for us. I took the boys yesterday for the "See it Grow Planter". And, other than needing some help fudging one side on because the predrilled holes did not line up (which he noticed himself), T-bone did the whole thing without a bit of help. E-man did just about all of his hammering (the last bit it always hard). Two proud and happy boys who didn't even want to go!

T-bone and I spent the morning at Los Angeles National Cemetery with a bunch of other boy and girl scouts so the kids could put a flag at each grave for their Memorial Day events tomorrow. A fabulous lesson in how people working together can accomplish a huge task in very little time (30 minutes!). The rain did help everyone move faster, but I had actually taken an umbrella. For once!

E-man took a snooze in the afternoon, and T-bone and I went to the Playa Vista library and then on a walk around the parks and along Bluff Creek, and managed to do some of the discussion requirements he has left for his Wolf badge. Getting T-bone to discuss is like pulling teeth, but it worked! Birds for me: lots and lots of red-winged blackbirds, common grackle, raven, lesser goldfinch, singing common yellowthroats, a flyby egret, mourning doves, house finches, coots, mallards, Anna's hummingbird. Exciting for T-bone: the utility boxes, the construction, the dog park, the missing and replaced fence rails, the dumpster. The usual!

Spring Break week 2

Oh, I'm behind again! Blogger gives me fits on occasion when trying to add photos. And then I give up.

On to week 2! A great playdate, me trying to recover from the cough with a cold that is going around, some walks, and lots of cub scouts.

First was the Pinewood Derby. 

Go Waste Management! (That would be T-bone's, of course, before it needed emergency repair to put a wheel back on.)

Go, Volvo! That would be E-man's, racing a small white version of our car in the open division, for parents and siblings.

T-bone and E-man were both very excited that E-man's Volvo beat (over 6 heats!) the Ferrari made by the dad that is waaaayyyyyy too into the Pinewood Derby (every pack has one, right?). E-man got second overall, but his victory was beating that Ferrari.

And then followed another week of walks and scooter rides, errands, a big playdate, and checkups at the dentist (they argued about who got to go first!).

And then, the last weekend of Spring Break. Cub Scout Rocket Camp! A weekend camping at the scout reservation in Brea. Making rockets, launching rockets, bikes, BBs, archery, and a skit for T-bone. Making and launching a rocket for E-man. Hunting for frogs, climbing up and down bluffs, sliding down bluffs, soccer at camp, and eating bad food and drinking--well, really, what was that "punch"? Drinking corn syrup and red dye 40, I guess. 

Boys and rockets: E-man's is the Tom and Jerry Shooter, T-bone's was nameless, but said "Keep Space Clean"--of course!
T-bone clips in his rocket.
We have lift-off!
T-bone retrieves his rocket after its 700 foot trip up--and down!
Uh-oh. After many tears, Tom and Jerry was retrieved by dad the next day, after borrowing a very very long polished tree branch from someone in area B. And no one got poison oak!
The sea of tents (the other direction looked the same!).
Lessons learned: someone has a very long pole for the purpose of retrieving rockets from trees, and bring your own food!

Spring Break, week 1

The boys have a 2-week spring break, so here is the summary of week 1! Pete, unfortunately, has the week after their 2 weeks. Figures.

So, spring break started off with a visit from the Easter bunny! We skipped the crazy ruckus and shoving parents at the Westchester egg hunt, and let the bunny bring the goods to the house.

We made a dinner of ham, carrots, glazed radishes (from the garden), and foccacia. Yummy!

T-bone in particular was thrilled to see the garbage trucks on Monday--though one was so late we finally just had to go run some errands. When T-bone misplaced his green Bruder can, he decided to make a new one (disaster averted!), and trimmed down his first try to create a working can. Of course, as soon as he sat down to use it, he found the missing can under the couch....


On Tuesday we went to the Scout Shop to pick up a pinewood derby kit for E-man, and a larger shirt for T-bone. Then we went to the Cabrillo Aquarium since we were right there. E-man, of course, loved the sharks. T-bone liked the huge lobsters best. And the yellow recycling cans.

At home, E-man made a special seaweed collecting boat. The scoop (on the left) collects seaweed (kelp, really) from the ocean,  dumping it onto the small shelf. That then dumps it onto the main part of the boat (the dumptruck piece). As you may have guessed, they have some kelp at the aquarium!

Wednesday we went to play at Acacia Park in El Segundo, which has a super tall spiral slide, a wave slide, swings, and a tire swing. I didn't take the camera, so no pics of super dizzy T-bone or E-man bouncing down the wave slide.

Thurdsay we had a playdate with a friend of E-man's at Lindbergh Park in Culver City. Again, no camera, but the boys all loved a quick trip to Target for pizza after the playdate. What is it about kids that makes eating at target soooooo exciting?

Friday Pete and the boys finished up their pinewood derby cars. More on that tomorrow--hopefully blogger will be more cooperative in letting me upload pics! I spent the day at the Family History Center in West LA doing research on my Martins in Cambridgeshire (they actually have, there, a bunch of the films I need!).  Three hours, and I only got through one film. But I think I am now back two more generations! We'll see if the other films confirm or refute what I think I know!

Saturday we had to turn in the cars for  weighing and impounding, and we had a brief but nice visit with Scott and Elizabeth. Pete had some extra hops corms (?), and has now talked Scott into growing hops too. Lucky Elizabeth :)

Rat-a-Cake-y & Building Bird Feeders

Last night we went to T-bone's cub scout pack Blue & Gold Banquet. Which meant that Friday night dad and T-bone baked a cake and then Saturday day they decorated it (which involved waaaay too much red food coloring). This year's theme was Chinese New Year, so T-bone drew a great rat for the year of the rat--the cake design was all him, as was much of the decorating. E-man found much of the evening exhausting (other than when the magician turned 4 birds into 1 rabbit, and the noodles and pot stickers got a thumbs up too!), and still hasn't recovered from not getting the giant Hot Wheels basket in the silent auction. Especially since T-bone won a Climb Mt Everest game as a door prize. No, we haven't tried playing yet!

E-man had a better Saturday last weekend. Both boys went with dad to the Lowe's Build N Grow to make bird/squirrel feeders. T-bone did his all by himself--all reading, finding pieces, hammering, everything. E-man happily hammered away with daddy. We gave these feeders over to the squirrels, who will be chubbier than ever now. This guy approves.

Where was I? Manning Miss Julie's 2nd grade class during another OCS open house. Which means I spent two hours talking (which my sore throat did NOT appreciate!) while simultaneously keeping toddlers brought to the no kids event from feeding the class's forced bulbs to the bunny. And I crocheted 4 afghan units!