One Week

I got one week off with the kids this summer.  We moved preschools and the new preschool is closed for one week at the end of August each year.  They remodel, clean and prepare their classrooms, take development classes, and everyone comes back renewed and refreshed and ready to start the new "school year".

I have to tell you, I was very apprehensive about taking a full week off with just me and the kids.  One adult, and two preschoolers seemed a bit overwhelming, especially when half the nights I come home from work and they drive me crazy!  But, we had a very, very good time, and I really feel like I got to *know* my kids!  We were all actually really upset about going back to work/school after labor day!

Monday, we went to a place called Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach.  Awesome little beach.  They pump seawater in to it's own secluded area (no waves!) where it never gets too deep.  There are fountains spewing water for the kids to play with, a play area, picnic tables, bathrooms, and lots & lots of sand!  I actually ended up making friends with several other moms here and the kids had a blast.  They each took really long naps this day as well!

Sea Lion swimming by at the Aquarium

Tuesday we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  Mike & I took Amanda once before Kevin was born and she didn't seem all that interested.  This time, though, she loved watching all the fish, sharks, sea lions, seals, sting rays...and especially the touch tanks!  She got to touch baby sharks and sting rays, and loved it!  Kevin, on the other hand, preferred playing in the play area, and wouldn't touch anything.

Wednesday we went to the new dinosaur hall at the Natural History Museum (NHM) of LA. Amanda absolutely loved this, and is still asking if she can go back!  They not only have a hall showcasing all the bones, but an interactive room where you can actually put the bones of a dinosaur together yourself.  They also have a working lab where you can see them excavating bones out of rock!  But Amanda's absolute favorite thing was the puppet show with the lifesize t-rex.  We saw the show twice!

Thursday we ran a bunch of errands, and Friday we stuck around home as we all felt a little under the weather.

Mike was really apprehensive about the week because he figured we'd spend a lot of money.  But even I was surprised how little we spent.  The lagoon was $16 (for all of us to get in) + $8 parking.  The aquarium was the most expensive at around $34 +$6 parking (only Kevin was free) and the NHM was only $12 (kids were free) + $8 parking.  I packed and brought a lunch each day, and we were always home by nap time.  So the afternoons we still had time to hang out and do stuff around the house.  Less than $100 and a lifetime of memories!

All in all, it was a great week, and although the kids did fight every now and again, we all had a ton of fun.  Looking forward to next year when we get to do it again!